Afrobeats now part of Pop Music, says Grammy CEO
African music will receive recognition at Sunday’s prestigious Grammys with its own category, as it has become a “part of pop music.”
This was stated by Harvey Mason Jr, CEO of the Recording Academy, in an interview with the BBC’s Newsday programme.
Mason Jr said he is “excited” at the inclusion of the Best African Music Performance category.
Tyla, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy and Davido are among the nominated artists, although some critics say an award for African music should have been included in the Grammys long ago.
According to the BBC, South African Miriam Makeba was the first African to win a Grammy award in 1966 when she picked up the prize for Best Folk Recording for her collaboration with Harry Belafonte. There have been several others, including Nigerian Burna Boy, who won in 2021 for Best Global Music Album, and Wizkid, who won the Best Music Video for his song with Beyoncé; Brown Skin Girl, from Lion King: The Gift album.
The decision to include an Africa-specific award came about because music from the continent is now “prevalent everywhere in the world”, Mr Mason Jr told the BBC’s Newsday programme.
He became the first black person to be in charge of the Grammy awards in 2021 and has been working to better represent the breadth of popular music.
He admitted that the Grammys, considered to be among the most prestigious music awards, typically honours American music. But he added that the awards are “fluid, adjusting, and pivoting” and they are trying to include music outside of the West.
The 2024 Grammys ceremony, slated for Sunday, February 4 in Los Angeles, will also feature a performance from Burna Boy, who will be the first Afrobeats performer ever to do so.
