The nominees for Best African Music Performance read like a dream lineup. Burna Boy entered with “Love.” Davido and Omah Lay brought “With You.” Ayra Starr and Wizkid submitted “Gimme Dat.” Uganda’s Eddy Kenzo teamed up with Mehran Matin for “Hope & Love.” And then there was Tyla with “Push 2 Start.” She had done this before. On 1 February at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Tyla wins Best African Music Performance for the second time. She now holds the title as the first artist to claim it twice since the category launched in 2024.
A Historic Double
Tyla first took the award in 2024 with “Water.” That amapiano-tinged single launched her into global pop stardom. “Push 2 Start” sits on the deluxe edition of her self-titled debut album. It blends amapiano rhythms with reggae-inspired textures. Streaming audiences worldwide could not resist it. The Grammys Premiere Ceremony hosted the announcement. Tyla could not collect it in person. She was walking the red carpet at the time. Somehow, that detail only added to the quiet dominance of the moment.
Strong Competition, Familiar Frustrations
Three Nigerian artists earned nominations: Burna Boy, Davido and Ayra Starr. Yet for the second year running, a South African artist took the award. Social media reactions arrived fast. They split predictably down national lines. Many Nigerian fans saw a pattern forming. Davido, now a five-time Grammy nominee, still has not won one. Burna Boy won Best Global Music Album in 2021 but keeps missing in this specific category. The debate about what “African music performance” means to the Academy rages on. Tyla’s consecutive wins have only turned up the volume.
What It Means for the Continent
Beyond the discourse, Tyla’s trajectory tells a broader story about the commercial power of South African pop exports. From Johannesburg to a top-25 debut on the Billboard 200, from one billion Spotify streams to a second Grammy on the mantelpiece — hers is a career being built at a pace that few artists on the continent have managed. Whether you believe the Academy gets it right or not, the category’s existence itself is a marker of progress. Two years in, it has already generated more conversation about African music than decades of being folded into the “Global Music” catch-all ever did.
South African comedian Trevor Noah hosted the ceremony for the sixth consecutive year. African music did not just earn nominations that night. The continent’s own presented the show.
