Nigerian music stars Davido, Tems, Asake and Ayra Starr are seeking wider recognition at the 2027 Grammy Awards, with their reported submissions spanning major general-field categories, African music, pop, R&B, rap and music videos.
The entries include Davido’s album Oriadé, Tems’ Love Is a Kingdom, Asake’s M$NEY and Ayra Starr’s Starrgirl, alongside several solo releases and international collaborations.
The submissions were detailed in reports based on disclosures by Grammy-focused platform The Grammy Guru. However, they do not guarantee nominations, as eligible Recording Academy voting members will determine which entries advance to the final list.
First-round voting runs from October 12 to 22, 2026, with the nominations for the 69th edition of the awards scheduled to be announced on November 16.
Davido has submitted his sixth studio album, Oriadé, for consideration in Album of the Year, Best Global Music Album, Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) and Best Album Cover.
His song B4 B4, featuring Mayorkun and FOLA, has been entered for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best African Music Performance.
Another collaboration, Nakupenda, featuring TxC, Zlatan, Shoday, Scotts Maphuma and Al Xapo, is seeking recognition in Song of the Year and Best African Music Performance.
Davido’s other entries include Le Show, featuring Ayra Starr and French Montana, for Best African Music Performance, and I Know Who I Be, featuring JAZZWRLD and GL_Ceejay, for Best Music Video.
The singer received three Grammy nominations at the 66th edition in 2024 for his album Timeless and the songs Unavailable and Feel, but did not win in any of the categories.
Asake has submitted his album M$NEY for Album of the Year and Best Global Music Album.
His song Gratitude is in contention for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best African Music Performance, while Jogodo, his collaboration with Wizkid, has been entered for Best African Music Performance.
His collaboration with DJ Snake, Worship, is also among the submissions for Best Dance Pop Recording.
Asake previously received Grammy nominations in the Best African Music Performance category for Amapiano, featuring Olamide, and MMS, featuring Wizkid.
Tems has submitted her project Love Is a Kingdom for Album of the Year, Best Global Music Album, Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) and Best Album Cover.
Her song What You Need has been entered for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Solo Performance, Best R&B Song and Best Music Video.
Her collaboration with British rapper Dave, Raindance, is seeking recognition in Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Rap Song and Best Music Video.
Tems’ other entries include Big Daddy for Best African Music Performance and I Think You’re Special, featuring Justin Bieber, for Best R&B Duo/Group Performance.
With two Grammy wins, Tems remains one of Nigeria’s most successful artistes at the awards. She won Best Melodic Rap Performance in 2023 for her contribution to Future’s Wait for U, featuring Drake, and Best African Music Performance in 2025 for Love Me JeJe.
Ayra Starr has entered her album Starrgirl for Album of the Year, Best Global Music Album, Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) and Best Album Cover.
Her collaboration with Zayn, Heaven Baby, has been submitted for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, while Who’s Dat Girl, featuring Rema, is in contention for Best Global Music Performance.
Other submissions from the singer include Ms. Paper, featuring Theodora; Aye Kan (Are You Coming Back?), featuring Angélique Kidjo; Le Show, featuring Davido and French Montana; and Show Me, featuring Latto. All four have been entered for Best African Music Performance.
Ayra Starr’s Tornado has been submitted for Best Music Video, while Wo Man – Edit, featuring Peggy Gou, is seeking recognition in Best Dance Pop Recording.
The singer previously received Grammy nominations in the Best African Music Performance category for Rush and Gimme Dat, her collaboration with Wizkid.
Seun Kuti has also reportedly submitted Na Dem and Problems for consideration in Best African Music Performance, adding to Nigerian artistes’ participation across the category.
The reported entries form part of a wider international submission cycle that includes British artistes Charli XCX and RAYE, Latin American stars Karol G and Peso Pluma, Japanese acts YOASOBI and Kenshi Yonezu, and Filipino girl group BINI. BTS, Stray Kids and Drake are among the prominent acts reported to have opted out of this year’s submissions.
The Recording Academy’s online entry process ran from July 7 to August 21, 2026, covering eligible recordings released between August 31, 2025, and August 28, 2026. Entries were submitted by eligible Academy members and registered media companies.
Following submission, the Academy’s Awards Department and genre screening committees review entries to verify eligibility and ensure that works are placed in the appropriate categories. Eligible voting members then determine the nominees.
Most Grammy categories have five nominees, while Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist have eight each.
Final-round voting is scheduled to run from December 10, 2026, to January 7, 2027, to determine the winners. The 69th Annual Grammy Awards will take place on February 7, 2027, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with the ceremony scheduled to air on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu.
The Nigerian submissions reflect the artistes’ efforts to compete across major general-field awards and genre-specific categories. However, the entries must first pass the Academy’s eligibility checks and voting process before any can become official nominations.
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