African artistes, including Ayra Starr, Tyla, and Burna Boy, have joined the 2026 Grammy race with multiple submissions across key categories, reflecting the continent’s growing presence in the global music scene.
Ayra Starr, Tyla, Burna Boy Lead 2026 Grammy Submissions for Africa
The Recording Academy’s submission window for the 2026 Grammy Awards has officially closed, and African acts are making their mark across major fields beyond the African and Global Music categories.
According to The Grammy Guru, 16 songs have been entered for Best African Music Performance, though only five will ultimately secure nominations.
Among the contenders are Ayra Starr’s “Gimme Dat” featuring Wizkid, Tyla’s “Push 2 Start,” Burna Boy’s “Love,” Davido’s “With You” with Omah Lay, and Shallipopi’s “Laho.” Other entries include collaborations from Olamide, Wizkid, and Darkoo on “Billionaires Club,” and Rema’s “Baby (Is It a Crime).”
Ayra Starr, a previous Grammy nominee, has also submitted her single Hot Body for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, while Gimme Dat is in the running for Best Music Video. Tyla, who won the inaugural Best African Music Performance award in 2024, has entered Push 2 Start in four categories, including Record and Song of the Year. The TMXO remix of her DJ Spinall collaboration One Call (featuring Omah Lay) is also up for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical.
This year’s submission pool is one of the largest yet. The Song of the Year category alone received over 1,000 entries, while Record of the Year logged 894, Album of the Year 686, and Best New Artist 337 submissions.
The first round of voting by Recording Academy members began earlier this month and will close on October 15, 2025. Nominees will be announced on November 7, 2025, during a livestream on the Grammy’s official YouTube channel, while the main ceremony is set for February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.