After 6 years, Nigeria wins again at The Grammys with Olusola

After six years in waiting, another Nigerian has emerged a winner in the much-coveted international music awards, The Grammys.

At the 57th edition of the Grammy awards, which held at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, Nigerian Kelvin Olusola and his team, Pentatonix, won in the Best Arrangement, Instrumental or Acappella category.

Olusola thus joined a growing list of Nigerians to have won the award after Helen Folashade Adu (better known as Sade Adu), Henry Adeola Samuel (popularly called Seal) and Sikiru Adepoju.

In 1986, at the 28th Grammy awards, Sade Adu winning with her band, Sade, as Best New Artiste, became the first Nigerian to win in the prestigious awards.

Ten years later, another Nigerian, Seal, won the Grammys Record of the Year and Song of the Year awards for his song Kiss from a Rose, a song which was remixed as a soundtrack to Batman forever.

Sikiru Adepoju won the Grammy in 1991 and 2009 as a part of Mickey Hart’s group, Planet Drum, whose albums won the award for Best Contemporary World Music Album for the two years.

Many other Nigerians have been nominated but lost out to other nominees.

The first Nigerian to be nominated for the award was King Sunny Ade, in 1983 for his album, Synchro System. He was re-nominated in 1998 for his collection of Yoruba songs Odu, becoming the first African to be nominated twice.

Femi, son of controversial Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, has been nominated for a Grammy award four times. He was nominated in 2003, 2010, 2012 and 2013, but did not win any.

Others who have been nominated Tyler Okonma, Tiwa Savage, and Chimamanda Adiche.