Afrobeats Army Storms the Grammys: Davido, Tems, Asake and Ayra Starr Enter the 2027 Race.

Afrobeats Army Storms the Grammys: Davido, Tems, Asake and Ayra Starr Enter the 2027 Race.

LAGOS – Nigeria's biggest music stars are going after music's biggest night again. Davido, Tems, Asake and Ayra Starr have all put their work forward for the 2027 Grammy Awards, a sign of how far Afrobeats has travelled from Lagos clubs to the world's biggest stages.

Davido entered his 13-track album, released on July 31, 2026, in four categories: Album of the Year, Best Global Music Album, Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) and Best Album Cover. His collaboration with Ayra Starr and French Montana, "Le Show," was entered for Best African Music Performance, while "I Know Who I Be" is in the running for Best Music Video. Reports also say his singles "B4 B4" and "Nakupenda" were entered in the Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best African Music Performance categories.

Asake is also going for a broad entry. His label, Giran Republik, announced four entries on October 8: his album "M$NEY," his Wizkid collaboration "Jogodo," "Gratitude," and "Worship," a collaboration with DJ Snake. Between them they cover categories including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best African Music Performance and Best Dance Pop Recording.

Tems and Ayra Starr, also reported among the Nigerian acts who entered their work for the 69th Grammy Awards, bring the strongest Grammy credentials of the group. Tems won Best African Music Performance for "Love Me Jeje" in 2025 and now has more Grammys than any other Nigerian artist. Ayra Starr is already a Grammy nominee for "Rush." (2027 Grammys: Davido Submits 5 Songs for Award Consideration Across Multiple Categories +2)

A category that changed the game

The entries come at a moment shaped by the Academy's decision to create Best African Music Performance. The category debuted at the 2024 Grammys, when South Africa's Tyla won with "Water" over nominees including Burna Boy, Davido, Musa Keys, Ayra Starr, Asake and Olamide. Tyla became the category's first two-time winner at the 68th Grammys with "PUSH 2 START."

The Nigerian contenders have history to build on. Davido earned three nominations at the 66th Grammys, for Timeless, "Unavailable" and "Feel." Asake has two nominations behind him, for "Amapiano" in 2024 and "MMS" in 2025, but no win yet.

Submission is not nomination

The excitement comes with a caveat. Grammy submissions are not nominations, and the reported entries remain unconfirmed until the official announcement. The Recording Academy's voting members still have to decide who makes the cut.

The next few weeks matter. First-round voting runs from October 12 to 22, and nominees are expected on November 16. The 69th Annual Grammy Awards are set for February 7, 2027, in Los Angeles.

For fans, the question now is how many of these entries turn into nominations, and whether this is the year a Nigerian act wins the Grammy that has so far gone to South Africa's Tyla, Tems, and other past winners. The Afrobeats stars have done their part. The rest is up to the voters.