Nigeria’s biggest music stars will learn on Monday whether their latest work has caught the attention of the Recording Academy. Nominations for the 69th Annual Grammy Awards are due to be announced on Monday, 16 November 2026, and a long list of Nigerian acts — including Davido, Asake, Tems, Ayra Starr, Victony and Seun Kuti — have songs and albums in contention across several categories.
The announcement will set the stage for the 2027 ceremony, scheduled for Sunday, 7 February at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. For Afrobeats fans, the main focus will once again be the Best African Music Performance category, though several Nigerian artists have also aimed at the general field, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.
When and how to watch the nominations
According to the Recording Academy, a nominations special presentation will begin at 7:45 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday — 1:45 p.m. in Nigeria — streamed on Grammy.com and the official Grammys YouTube channel, with live coverage on ABC’s Good Morning America. For the first time, the presentation will be staged at The Square in New York’s Times Square.
Grammys chief executive Harvey Mason jr. and Recording Academy trustee Dr Chelsey Green will be joined by a line-up of Grammy-winning and nominated artists to read out the nominees. The Academy has named Olivia Dean, Kehlani, Pharrell Williams, David Guetta, Juanes, Herbie Hancock, YUNGBLUD and Ziggy Marley among the presenters. The complete list across all categories will be posted on Grammy.com at 9 a.m. Eastern Time (3 p.m. WAT), ABC News reported.
The 2027 ceremony will also be the first Grammys broadcast on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu, following the Academy’s 10-year deal with the Walt Disney Company. Recordings released between 31 August 2025 and 28 August 2026 are eligible.
Who has submitted what
Entries are not the same as nominations: submitted works go on a first-round ballot, and Academy voting members decide which make the final list. First-round voting closed in October. Still, the submissions reported by Nigerian media give a clear picture of the country’s ambitions this cycle.
Asake has the broadest campaign. His label, Giran Republik, said his album M$NEY was entered for Album of the Year and Best Global Music Album, while “Gratitude” was entered for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best African Music Performance, Arise News reported. “Jogodo”, his collaboration with Wizkid, is in the running for Best African Music Performance, and “Worship” with French DJ Snake was submitted for Best Dance Pop Recording. Asake has two previous Grammy nominations — for “Amapiano” with Olamide and “MMS” with Wizkid — but has yet to win.
Davido submitted five entries, according to TheCable Lifestyle and BusinessDay, among them “B4 B4”, featuring Mayorkun and Fola, for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best African Music Performance.
Tems, already a two-time Grammy winner, entered “Big Daddy” for Best African Music Performance and “I Think You’re Special”, featuring Justin Bieber, in the R&B duo/group field. Her feature on Dave’s “Raindance” was also submitted in several categories, YNaija reported.
Ayra Starr, nominated in the past for “Rush” and “Gimme Dat”, has several features in contention for Best African Music Performance, including “Le Show” alongside French Montana. Victony entered his hit “Slick” for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best African Music Performance, while Afrobeat torchbearer Seun Kuti submitted “Na Dem” and “Problems” for the African category. Seyi Vibez is also among the artistes reported to have entered work.
A crowded African category
Best African Music Performance was introduced at the 66th Grammys in 2024, when South Africa’s Tyla won with “Water”. Since then, the category has been dominated by polished, streaming-friendly Afrobeats and amapiano records, and Nigerian acts have regularly filled most of the shortlist without always taking home the trophy.
That pattern means Monday’s announcement could produce disappointments as well as celebrations, with many strong Nigerian entries chasing a limited number of slots. Seun Kuti’s presence adds an interesting contrast, setting the older Afrobeat tradition founded by his father, Fela, against the newer Afrobeats sound, as DancehallMag noted.
The Headies debate in the background
The Grammy push comes weeks after The Headies founder Ayo Animashaun criticised Nigerian artistes for eagerly submitting work to foreign award bodies while, in his view, neglecting local platforms. His comments followed the postponement of the 18th Headies, originally planned for 23 October in Toronto, to 10 and 11 April 2027, Channels Television reported. The exchange reopened a long-running debate about how much weight Nigerian stars and fans should place on international recognition.
What happens next
Once nominations are out on Monday, final-round voting runs from 10 December 2026 to 7 January 2027, according to the Recording Academy’s published calendar. Winners will be revealed at the ceremony on 7 February. Flashinfong will publish the full list of Nigerian and African nominees as soon as it is released.
Sources: Recording Academy (Grammy.com), ABC News, Arise News, TheCable Lifestyle, BusinessDay, YNaija, allAfrica, DancehallMag, Channels Television.
