Nigerian music stars Davido, Asake, Tems and Ayra Starr have submitted albums and songs for consideration across multiple categories at the 2027 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best African Music Performance.
The reported submissions span Afrobeats, global music, pop, R&B, rap and music video categories, with the artistes seeking recognition for both solo projects and international collaborations.
The entries were detailed in reports based on disclosures by Grammy-focused platform The Grammy Guru, ahead of the announcement of nominees for the 69th edition of the awards.
However, the submissions do not guarantee nominations. The Recording Academy’s first-round voting, which determines the nominees, runs from 12 to 22 October, 2026. The full list of nominees is scheduled to be announced on 16 November.
Davido with Oriadé
Davido has submitted his sixth studio album, Oriadé, for consideration in four categories: Album of the Year, Best Global Music Album, Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) and Best Album Cover.
His song ‘B4 B4’, featuring Mayorkun and FOLA, is entered for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best African Music Performance.
Another collaboration, ‘Nakupenda’, featuring TxC, Zlatan, Shoday, Scotts Maphuma and Al Xapo, is submitted for Song of the Year and Best African Music Performance.
‘Le Show’, featuring Ayra Starr and French Montana, is also in contention for Best African Music Performance. At the same time, ‘I Know Who I Be’, featuring JAZZWRLD and GL_Ceejay, has been submitted for Best Music Video.
Davido received three Grammy nominations at the 66th edition in 2024 for his album Timeless and songs ‘Unavailable’ and ‘Feel’, but did not win in any of the categories.
Asake submits M$NEY, ‘Gratitude’
Asake has entered his album M$NEY for Album of the Year and Best Global Music Album.
His song ‘Gratitude’ has been submitted for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best African Music Performance, while ‘Jogodo’, his collaboration with Wizkid, is in contention for Best African Music Performance.
‘Worship’, featuring DJ Snake, has also been submitted for Best Dance Pop Recording.
The submissions follow Asake’s previous Grammy nominations in the Best African Music Performance category for ‘Amapiano’, featuring Olamide, and ‘MMS’, featuring Wizkid.
Tems seeks recognition across genres
Tems has submitted her project ‘Love Is a Kingdom’ for Album of the Year, Best Global Music Album, Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) and Best Album Cover.
Her song ‘What You Need’ is submitted for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Solo Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best Music Video.
Her collaboration with British rapper Dave, ‘Raindance’, is submitted for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video.
Tems’ ‘Big Daddy’ is also in contention for Best African Music Performance, while ‘I Think You’re Special’, featuring Justin Bieber, has been submitted for Best R&B Duo/Group Performance.
Tems is among Nigeria’s most successful artistes at the Grammys, with two wins. She won Best Melodic Rap Performance in 2023 for her contribution to Future’s ‘Wait for U’, featuring Drake, and Best African Music Performance in 2025 for ‘Love Me JeJe’.
Ayra Starr enters ‘Starrgirl,’ international collaborations
Ayra Starr has submitted her album ‘Starrgirl’ for Album of the Year, Best Global Music Album, Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) and Best Album Cover.
‘Heaven Baby’, her collaboration with Zayn, has been entered for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Her collaboration with Rema, ‘Who’s Dat Girl’, is submitted for Best Global Music Performance.
Other entries include ‘Ms. Paper’, featuring Theodora; ‘Aye Kan (Are You Coming Back?)’, featuring Angélique Kidjo; ‘Le Show’, featuring Davido and French Montana; and ‘Show Me’, featuring Latto, all submitted for Best African Music Performance.
Ayra Starr’s ‘Tornado’ has been entered for Best Music Video, while ‘Wo Man – Edit’, featuring Peggy Gou, is submitted for Best Dance Pop Recording.
The singer previously received Grammy nominations in the Best African Music Performance category for ‘Rush’ and ‘Gimme Dat’, her collaboration with Wizkid.
Seun Kuti
Seun Kuti has also reportedly submitted ‘Na Dem’ and ‘Problems’ for consideration in the Best African Music Performance category.
The submissions add to Nigerian artistes’ participation in a Grammy cycle that has seen African music continue to feature across global and genre-specific categories.
Other international artistes reportedly submitting works for the 2027 Grammys include Charli XCX and RAYE from the UK, Karol G and Peso Pluma from Latin America, YOASOBI and Kenshi Yonezu from Japan, and Filipino girl group BINI, while BTS, Stray Kids and Drake are among the notable acts reported to have opted out of this year’s submissions.
2027 Grammy Awards
The Recording Academy’s Online Entry Process ran from 7 July to 21 August 2026, allowing eligible recordings released between 31 August 2025 and 28 August 2026 to be submitted for consideration. Entries were submitted by eligible Recording Academy members and registered media companies. Following the submission period, the Academy’s Awards Department and genre screening committees review entries to verify eligibility and ensure they are placed in the appropriate categories.
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The nomination process is determined by votes from eligible Recording Academy voting members, including artistes, songwriters, producers, engineers and other music professionals. First-round voting runs from 12 to 22 October 2026 to determine the nominees, who are scheduled to be announced on 16 November. The top five entries in most categories become nominees, while Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist have eight nominees each.
Final-round voting will run from 10 December 2026 to 7 January 2027 to determine the winners. The 69th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on 7 February 2027, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with the ceremony scheduled to air on ABC, Disney+, and Hulu.
The reported submissions by Nigerian artistes reflect their efforts to secure recognition across several categories, including major general-field awards and Best African Music Performance. However, submissions are not nominations, and inclusion on the submission list does not guarantee a nomination or a win. Artistes must first pass the Academy’s eligibility screening and voting process.
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