By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GettyImages.
South African singer Tyla has won for Best African Music Performance for her song “Water”, which has reached global popularity and made various achievements.
Tyla accepted her award at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards premiere ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The premiere ceremony, held ahead of the main ceremony, is where the majority of awards are handed out.
Tyla beat other African stars, including Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, ASAKE & Olamide and Davido featuring South African artist Musa Keys.
“Oh my – what the heck!” Tyla said at the start of her acceptance speech.
“Oh my gosh, guys. This is crazy. Like I never thought I’d say, ‘I won a Grammy at 22 years old, guys’,” she said.
She continued: “If you don’t know me, my name is Tyla. I’m from South Africa and last year God decided to change my whole life, so thank you so much to God. Thank you to my team, my family; I know my mother’s crying somewhere in here.”
“Thank you to the Recording Academy for this category. It’s so important and I know I’m forgetting some things, but I won a Grammy! Thank you, thank you,” she said, ending her speech.
Best African Music Performance is a new category for the Grammys, added for the 2024 ceremony.
Social media has been buzzing with congratulatory messages for the singer.
Here is the list of some of 2024 Grammy winners.
Album Of The Year
World Music Radio, Jon Batiste
the record, boygenius
Endless Summer Vacation, Miley Cyrus
Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Lana Del Rey
The Age Of Pleasure, Janelle Monáe
GUTS, Olivia Rodrigo
Midnights, Taylor Swift (WINNER)
SOS, SZA
Record Of The Year
“Worship,” Jon Batiste
“Not Strong Enough,” boygenius
“Flowers,” Miley Cyrus (WINNER)
“What Was I Made For?” [From The Motion Picture Barbie], Billie Eilish
“On My Mama,” Victoria Monét
“Vampire,” Olivia Rodrigo
“Anti-Hero,” Taylor Swift
“Kill Bill,” SZA
Song Of The Year
“A&W,” Jack Antonoff, Lana Del Rey & Sam Dew, songwriters (Lana Del Rey)
“Anti-Hero,”Jack Antonoff & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
“Butterfly,” Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste)
“Dance The Night” (From Barbie The Album), Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Dua Lipa)
“Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, Gregory Aldae Hein & Michael Pollack, songwriters (Miley Cyrus)
“Kill Bill,” Rob Bisel, Carter Lang & Solána Rowe, songwriters (SZA)
“Vampire,” Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Olivia Rodrigo)
“What Was I Made For?” [From The Motion Picture Barbie], Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish) (WINNER).
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, has congratulated trailblazing South African musician Tyla for winning her first Grammy Award.
Tyla’s Grammy Award win once again confirms her status as a music global superstar. Her meteoric success has been truly inspiring, and there is so much more to come. Tyla is a proud ambassador of South African arts and culture. I congratulate Tyla for a historic Grammy Award win, which comes before she has even released a full album. Continue to inspire and to raise the South African flag high,” the Minister said.
South Africa had a notable presence at the Grammys, with Trevor Noah hosting the awards for the fourth time, and nominated for “Best Comedy Album”.
“I also congratulate all the South African artists who were nominated for the 66th Grammy Award. Trevor Noah, Just 6 and Musa Keys show the diverse South African artistic talent on display on the world stage. Continue to entertain and showcasing to the world the best of Mzansi,” Kodwa said.