With Burna Boy and Wizkid winning their first Grammy Awards, making both the first homegrown Afro-pop generation with such a feat, the 14th of March 2021 will forever be a day to remember. But importantly, it should be a day to stay humble, focused, and a day to realize that both wins further give credence to the importance of international collaborations and the need to have more Africans in the Grammy Voting Block. Let us also talk about the elephant in the room – artiste Tiwa Savage did not win a Grammy Award. Her name wasn’t under the list of any nominated artist. (She was not credited with at least 33% playing time on Coldplay’s album). Also, music producer Telz did not win a Grammy. Award for Best Global Music Album goes solely to the artiste. Wizkid and Burna are the only Nigerian creatives that won. 

In continuation on the importance of the international collaboration, Burna Boy’s previous albums are a compilation of great music but collaborating with Diddy on some form of production for his latest Grammy Awards winning Twice As Tall album arguably contributed to the win. Over the years, Wizkid has released songs that have held the world spellbound. But him coming in as featured artiste and in co-writing on Beyonce’s “Brown Skin Girl” took his career to a higher ground where he’s now a Grammy Winner. This two perfect collaboration has helped two Afrobeats artistes to have a seat at the table. The question now is how do we milk this opportunity?

Now that we have two Afrobeats icons that have officially put down a marker on the world stage, it’s of importance that they don’t become self-centered. Now is the time to create a bridge for several artists, producers, A&R, dancers, video directors, stylists, movie-makers, video vixens, and entertainment journalists to use as a collaborating pathway to do great things. As we all look forward to having international collaborations, it’s of importance that we develop several local collaborative works. It will help in strengthening our craft and support several up-and-coming talents in the industry.  

Words by Sesan Adeniji: Instagram & Twitter – @sesanadeniji