Meet 7 female Nigerian artistes nominated for Grammy Awards

These female singers born of Nigeria origin has been known to make their mark and be recognised for their talents and creativity.

So far, there are seven amazing singers who have been recognised with the Grammy Awards, a prestigous international music award.

The list below as published by Legit.ng lists the seven female singers who have been nominated for Grammys.

1. Chimamanda Adichie 2015

Internationally renowned Nigerian author, writer and literacy icon Chimamanda Adichie was nominated and won a Grammy award in 2015 as a credited artist on Beyonce’s self-titled album in 2013.

Adichie’s famous speech, We Should All Be Feminist, was sampled by Beyonce on Flawless. The project was nominated in the album of the year category at the 2015 Grammy awards.

2. Kah-Lo 2017

Faridah Seriki, with the stage name Kah-Lo, is a Nigerian-born UK-raised singer and songwriter best known for her song Fasta. She received a Grammy nomination for her work with DJ Riton, a British disk jokey. Riton and Kah Lo released Rinse & Repeat, a 2016 mega-hit in the UK.

The single reached the top of several UK music charts and was nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

3. Cynthia Erivo 2017 & 2021

Nigerian-born British singer Cynthia Erivo got her first Grammy nomination in 2017 for her work in the movie, ‘Colour Purple’. She also received a plaque for Best Musical Theater Album at the 2017 Grammys.

In 2021, Cynthia Erivo’s song Stand Up was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category. The music was used in the award-winning film Harriet directed by Kasi Lemmons.

4. Tiwa Savage 2019

The “Number 1 African Bahd Gyal” Tiwa Savage isn’t left out of this esteemed list. She was nominated for a Grammy in 2019 for her contribution to Coldplay’s Everyday Life album. Tiwa featured on Coldplay’s song titled Eko, and her vocals were a strong focus on the track. The project was nominated for the album of the year.

5. Jen Nkiru 2021

Jen Nkiru is a British-Nigerian filmmaker and director. She was nominated and won a Grammy for Best Music Video at the 2021 awards. Nkiru was the director of Beyonce’s inspirational music video, Brown Skin Girl, featuring Wizkid and Blue Ivy.

6. Shade Adu:

The queen mother of this list is Helen Folasade Adu, popularly known as Sade Adu. She was born in the ancient city of Ibadan on January 16, 1959. She is the first woman with Nigerian roots to be recognised by Grammy awards for her 1985 record that won her Best New Act in 1986. Sade Adu went on to win four Grammy awards, which include Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the song No Ordinary Love in 1994, Best Pop Vocal Album for Lovers Rock in 2002, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for Soldier of Love in 2011.

7. Tems

And finally, Tems. She, at the moment, is the cynosure of all eyes in Nigeria’s music industry. Some have even dared to call her the best Nigerian artist. Tems was first nominated for a Grammy award in 2021 for her work on Wizkid’s global hit track, Essence, but they missed out.

In 2022, Tems got three Grammy nominations at the 2022 Annual Grammy Awards. The nominations include Beyonce’s Renaissance for Album of the year, where Tems is credited as a songwriter. However, in 2023 Tems couldn’t be denied a Grammy for her 2022 collaboration with Future on the song Wait For You.