Afrobeats Head

Category: Awards

  • Adekunle Gold Attends 2026 Ballon d’Or Ceremony in London

    Adekunle Gold Attends 2026 Ballon d’Or Ceremony in London

    Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold attended the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony at the London Palladium on Monday, October 26, joining figures from football, music and entertainment at the annual awards.

    Adekunle Gold attends the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony in London

    The ceremony marked the 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or, which recognises individual achievements in football. This year’s event took place in London, bringing together players and other personalities from across the sport.

    Nigerian music also featured at the ceremony through Burna Boy, who presented Arsenal and England forward Bukayo Saka with the Socrates Award. The honour recognises individuals involved in humanitarian and social initiatives.

    Burna Boy presented the Socrates Award to Bukayo Saka at the Ballon d’Or ceremony

    British singer Jorja Smith performed “Blue Lights” during the event, while French Montana was also among the musical acts announced for the ceremony.

    The event drew further attention after the official Ballon d’Or website briefly published articles naming Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé as winners. Organisers subsequently said the articles had appeared because of a technical glitch involving prepared profiles and were not confirmation of the results.

    At the time of writing, the winner of the men’s Ballon d’Or had not yet been officially announced.

  • Burna Boy Presents Socrates Award to Bukayo Saka at 2026 Ballon d’Or Ceremony

    Burna Boy Presents Socrates Award to Bukayo Saka at 2026 Ballon d’Or Ceremony

    Nigerian singer Burna Boy presented Arsenal and England forward Bukayo Saka with the Socrates Award at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on Monday, October 26.

    Burna Boy presented the Socrates Award to Bukayo Saka

    The presentation took place at the London Palladium, which hosted the 70th edition of the annual football awards. The ceremony recognises achievements across professional football, alongside contributions to humanitarian and social causes.

    Burna Boy on the Ballon d’Or red carpet

    The Socrates Award recognises football figures who use their influence to support social initiatives. Saka’s recognition is linked to his charitable work, including his involvement with BigShoe, an organisation that helps provide medical treatment to children in need.

    Burna Boy on the Ballon d’Or red carpet

    Burna Boy’s joined other performers at the event, including British singer Jorja Smith, who performed “Blue Lights.” French Montana was also among the musical acts announced for the ceremony.

    Jorja Smith on the Ballon d’Or red carpet

    Burna Boy and Wizkid previously collaborated on ‘Ballon d’Or’, a track released in 2022. The song shares its name with football’s annual individual award.”

    French Montana and
    Kylian Mbappé at the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony

    The event also drew attention following confusion over the announcement of this year’s top honours. Earlier in the day, the official Ballon d’Or website briefly published articles naming Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé as winners. Organisers said the articles were prepared profiles published by mistake and did not represent confirmed results.

    At the time of writing, the winner of the men’s Ballon d’Or had not yet been officially announced.

  • HBO submits Wizkid’s “Long Live Lagos” documentary for 2027 Grammy consideration

    HBO submits Wizkid’s “Long Live Lagos” documentary for 2027 Grammy consideration

    HBO has submitted Music Box: Wizkid: Long Live Lagos for consideration in the Best Music Film category at the 2027 Grammy Awards.

    Directed and produced by Karam Gill, the documentary follows Wizkid as he prepares for his performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The film explores his career, the international growth of Afrobeats and how his music challenges perceptions of Nigeria and African identity.

    The documentary premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival before debuting on HBO and its streaming platform on December 11, 2025. It features contributions from people including Femi Kuti, Wizkid’s manager Jada Pollock, broadcaster Julie Adenuga and music executive Seni Saraki.

    Wizkid holds his daughter Morayo at the premiere of “Wizkid: Long Live Lagos” during the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival.

    The submission is for consideration and does not guarantee a nomination. The 2027 Grammy nominees are scheduled to be announced on November 16, 2026, ahead of the awards ceremony on February 7, 2027.

  • Omah Lay submits “CLARITY OF MIND” for 2027 Grammy consideration

    Omah Lay submits “CLARITY OF MIND” for 2027 Grammy consideration

    Nigerian singer Omah Lay has submitted his second studio album, CLARITY OF MIND, for consideration in the Best Global Music Album category at the 2027 Grammy Awards. His songs “I AM” and “DON’T LOVE ME” have also been submitted in separate categories.

    Omah Lay’s “For Your Consideration” banner for the 2027 Grammys

    According to the submissions list, CLARITY OF MIND is entered for Best Global Music Album, “I AM” for Best African Music Performance, and “DON’T LOVE ME” for Best Music Video.

    Released on April 3, 2026, CLARITY OF MIND contains 12 tracks, including “HOLY GHOST,” “WAIST,” “CANADA BREEZE” and “AMEN.” The album followed Omah Lay’s 2022 debut, Boy Alone, and was released through KeyQaad and Warner Records.

    The submissions are for consideration and do not guarantee nominations. The Recording Academy is scheduled to announce the 2027 Grammy nominees on November 16, with the awards ceremony set for February 7, 2027.

  • Tyla submits Zara Larsson collaboration “She Did It Again” for 2027 Grammys

    Tyla submits Zara Larsson collaboration “She Did It Again” for 2027 Grammys

    South African singer Tyla has submitted her collaboration with Swedish pop singer Zara Larsson, “She Did It Again,” for consideration in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category at the 2027 Grammy Awards, according to a list published by The Grammy Guru and reported by Showbiz by PS.

    Released in April 2026, “She Did It Again” features on Tyla’s second studio album, APop*, which was released on July 24.

    Tyla and Zara Larsson/2025 VMAs

    Tyla’s other submissions include APop* for Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Engineered Album and Best Album Cover. “Chanel” is submitted for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video, while “That Girl” is listed for Best Pop Solo Performance and “Kiss” for Best Dance Pop Recording.

    Her African music category submissions include “I Don’t Care” featuring Babalwa M, “Memories” featuring Lojay and “Body Go” featuring Moliy, all entered for Best African Music Performance. “Game Time” with Future and FIFA Sound is submitted for Best Melodic Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. “Right Now” is listed for Best R&B Solo Performance and Best R&B Song, while “PBT” featuring Travis Scott and Vybz Kartel is submitted for Best Music Video.

    The submissions are for consideration and do not guarantee nominations. First-round voting runs from October 12 to 22, with nominees scheduled to be announced on November 16. The 2027 Grammy Awards will take place on February 7 in Los Angeles.