The music world's attention turned to Los Angeles on Sunday, 1 February, for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. The star-studded gala took place at the Crypto.com Arena, while the afternoon Premiere Ceremony was held at the Peacock Theater.

It was a landmark night for African talent. Artists from the continent and those of African heritage secured historic wins and high-profile recognition across the 95 award categories.

Tyla’s Second Victory

South African sensation Tyla was one of the night’s standout winners. She took home the trophy for Best African Music Performance for her single, "PUSH 2 START".

This victory marks her second win in this specific category since the Recording Academy introduced it.

“This is so insane, I’m just lucky to be here, and I’m so proud to be African, and I hope that everyone is, too. I’m excited to see more of us here,” she said during her speech.

Tyla beat a very strong field of nominees. The list included Afrobeats stars such as Burna Boy, Davido, and Ayra Starr.

A Legend Honoured

The weekend began with a historic milestone for the late Nigerian icon Fela Kuti. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Special Merit Awards.

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Fela Kuti is the first African artist ever to receive this honour. His children accepted the award on his behalf. The recognition highlighted Fela’s massive impact on global culture and music.

"Afrobeat is not just influential — it is foundational to modern global music."

Crossing Genre Borders

Nigerian-American artist Shaboozey also found success on the night. He won Best Country Duo/Group Performance for the song "Amen," a collaboration with Jelly Roll.

His win was seen as a highlight of the ceremony. It showed how African heritage is blending with traditional American genres.

A Shift in Global Impact

The 2026 Grammys reflected a major shift within the Recording Academy. The academy has expanded its global membership to better reflect diverse listening habits.

"The Grammys are signalling that African music is not ‘arriving’ — it has arrived."

While not every nominee won, the visibility of African talent was high. Veteran icon Angélique Kidjo was nominated for Best Global Music Performance.

Youssou N’Dour and Burna Boy also earned nominations for Best Global Music Album. These nominations continue a long tradition of African excellence on the world stage.

Outside Africa, Bad Bunny made history when his project, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, was named Album of the Year. It is the first Spanish-language album ever to win the top prize in the history of the awards.

The Puerto Rican artist was visibly emotional during his speech, which he delivered largely in Spanish.

While Bad Bunny took the top album honour, Kendrick Lamar was the night's most decorated artist. Lamar won five awards in total, including Record of the Year for "luther," a collaboration with SZA.

By the end of the night, Lamar had officially broken Jay-Z’s record for the most career Grammy wins by a rapper.