Nigerian singer Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, stage name ‘Wizkid’ received two Grammy Nominations on November 23, 2021.
This was made known by the Recording Academy when it released the nominations list in the same day.
Wizkid’s ‘Essence’ was nominated for Global Music Performance, while his ‘Made In Lagos’ album was nominated for Global Music Album.
The internet has since dubbed Wizkid’s ‘Essence’ as a world anthem, with even Nicki Minaj endorsing the song as Grammy worthy.
Although Wizkid did get those nominations, he won neither when the Recording Academy announced the winners for the Best Global Music Performance and Best Global Music Album were won by Arooj Aftab and Angélique Kidjo, respectively.
Meanwhile, Arooj Aftab is the first Pakistani Musician to win a Grammy.
Not having The Essence crooner win the award clearly did not sit well with some people.
One tweeter user noted that the song was considered a world anthem even if things did not go as expected.
“@prince_II: I don’t know much, and don’t speak much on these things, but we ALL KNOW that award belonged to ‘Essence’. They gave the world an ANTHEM.”
Even Wizkid’s sister expressed her shock on Instagram over the award too
“@sayobalogun: @recordingacademy really? Really though?”
Another Instagram user however, pointed out that Angélique Kidjo deserved her win because she embodies the African art well in her music, implying Wizkid did not do enough to win the award.
“@iamtemigold: Angelique Kidjo is so real with her sound, she speaks more of African dialects in her songs than English. From the beats, dressing, and visuals.
She’s the real mama Africa, Yemi Alade is following her step. I won’t be surprised if Yemi Alade brings the Album to Nigeria before other female acts.
Forget that woman sabi, she carries this identity of an African woman. She embodies that African Art so well in her music.”
At the Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022, Angélique Kidjo stated the win came for her because “The young musicians from Africa are gonna take the world by storm”
This prompted her to give a shout out to Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, and Mr. Eazi, acknowledging them for their contribution to her Grammy award-winning album, ‘Mother Nature’.
“@Letter_to_jack: Angelique Kidjo dropped an Album which the headline song talked about the dangers of climate change induced disasters (that the west is worried about)
and how it will impact Africa more but you are wondering why she won a Grammy for THAT body of work? Stop playing.”
This is the tweet from another Twitter user, stating why Kidjo deserved the win. The tweet got a retweet from Yemi Alade, meaning she endorses this explanation.
