Top Lists
10 Times Nigerian Musicians Received Notable International Awards
There are so many international awards won by Nigerian musicians over the years and this has put the country in Global light.
Some few years back, Nigerian-international collaborations scarcely ever happened, unlike in these times when international features are the order of the day.
From Snoop Dogg’s feature on D’banj’s hit, “Mr. Endowed“ in 2010 to Chris Brown’s feature on Lojay’s “Monalisa” in 2022, Nigerian musicians have proven that their presence in the music industry is no joke. The recent Bet Award won by Nigerian music sensation, Tems, got everyone talking about Nigeria’s representation in the Global music scene.
In this article, therefore, RNN takes you on a trip down memory lane of 10 international awards won by Nigerian musicians so far. Since they won’t all make it to the list, here’s a list of some Nigerian artists with international awards:
- 2Face
- D’Banj
- Tiwa Savage
- Wizkid
- Davido
- Yemi Alade
- Burna Boy
- Tems
- Ice Prince
- P Square
- Tekno
- Flavour
Now, here’s a list of international awards won by Nigerian musicians, from the oldest to the most recent.
10 International Awards Won By Nigerian Artistes
10. MTV Europe Music Award- 2Face
MTV Europe Music Award introduced the “Best African Act” category in 2005 and Nigerian singer, 2Face became the First African to ever win the award. 2Face was no doubt, a force to reckon with in the Nigerian music industry at the time and he’s considered a legend to date.
Some other artistes nominated for the award were Congo’s Kaysha, Kenya’s Kleptomaniax, Ghana’s 02, and South Africa’s Zamajobe.
This is one of the most notable international awards ever recorded in the Nigerian music industry. 2Face also holds a title as the first Nigerian/African to win Bet Awards for Best International Act: Africa, alongside D’Banj.
9. D’Banj- First Nigerian/African Artiste to Win a Bet Award
Popular Nigerian musician, D’Banj is known for his notable works in the music industry including being the first Nigerian to win a BET Award.
In 2011, D’Banj won the Bet Award for Best International Act: Africa, alongside 2Face. This award category was equally introduced in the same year. The 11-year-old win makes the duo the first-ever Nigerian and African artistes to win the award.
This is another feat that put Nigeria ahead of other countries in terms of Global music recognition.
8. Wizkid- Bet Award
Wizkid is another Nigerian musician that has won a lot of international awards. The Essence singer is the most awarded African at the Bet Awards.
After experiencing a year that saw him receive a lot of awards and nominations (2011), Wizkid received Bet Award for the Best International Act: Africa category in 2012.
This was a great feat for the artiste and Nigerians were in awe since he was new in the hood at the time.
7. Davido- Kora Awards
In 2012, Davido made history for himself as he won the Best Male Newcomer award at KORA Awards. Although he was absent at the award ceremony, Nigerians celebrated the feat as the pop star was just gaining ground in the music industry at the time.
Davido is also one of the most awarded and most popular Nigerian artistes at the moment.
6. Fela Kuti- Channel O Music Video Awards
Late Nigerian composer and musician, Fela Kuti was awarded for so many things during his lifetime. To date, he has record-breaking posthumous awards to his name including the Channel O Music Video Awards.
The award was introduced in 2003 and Fela was honored as the first-ever Nigerian/African to win the DSTV award.
5. Tems- Bet Awards- Best Collaboration
Fast-rising Nigerian artiste, Tems won at the Bet Awards 2022 for Best Collaboration alongside Wizkid and Justin Beiber. They got accolades for the remix of Wizkid’s Essence from his 2020 album, Made in Lagos.Â
The song had been a trending song in Nigeria but the collaboration brought more prominence to the song, earning it a spot on Billboard’s Top 10 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
4. Wizkid and Tems- Soul Train Music Award
No doubt, Tems is the rave of the moment when it comes to international awards. Still on Wizkid’s Essence, the singer bagged yet another award.
The duo won the “Best Collaboration” at the 2021 Soul Train Music Awards.
Top 3 International Awards Won By Nigerian Musicians
These three awards shook the internet and it’s no surprise that they’re still being talked about to date. Let’s see the top 3 international awards won by Nigerian Musicians.
3. Wizkid- Grammy Award
After bagging a feature on Beyonce’s Lion King Album in 2019, Nigerian music sensation, Wizkid went on to bag a Grammy award.
Wizkid won the 2021 Grammy award for Best Music Video alongside Beyonce, Blue Ivy, and SAINt JHN for Beyonce’s hit on the album, Brown Skin Girl.
This was one win that was highly celebrated as a result of the prominent nature of the award.
9. Burna Boy- Grammy Award
In 2021, Nigerian singer, Burna Boy received a Grammy Award for the Best Global Music Album. The work that earned him this recognition was his Twice as Tall album.
As a result of this feat, Burna Boy became the first Nigerian to receive a Grammy award for a sole work (without collaborations). Recall that Wizkid’s win was a result of being featured on Bey’s song.
10. Tems- 2022 Bet Awards- Best International Act
This is the latest feat to be celebrated by Nigerian artistes. This is one of the most notable awards won by Nigerian musicians in recent years.
Tems won the Best International Act award at the recently-concluded 2022 Bet Awards. She is not the only Nigerian artiste to ever win a Bet Award, however, if you’re also wondering what the fuss is about, here you go- Tems is the first female Nigerian artiste to win a Bet Award in this category.