Tems was the one African to shine at the Grammy Awards last night. She won Best African Music Performance for her hit track "Love Me JeJe." To do that, she had to beat Afrobeats heavyweights Davido, Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, and Asake--all Nigerians, by the way.
The genre diversity of today's African music--let alone "Global" music, another Grammy category--make a category like Best African Music Performance inherently problematic. When it comes to international sounds, it's very hard for the Grammy Awards to get things right. Essentially, it's about money and markets. This category reflects the commercial success of Afrobeats, and to a degree, Amapiano. That said, it probably would have been more accurate to call the award Best Afrobeats Performance. Still problematic, but better.
In any case, kudos to Tems, the giant-slayer!
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