With four Nigerian nominees defeated by South African artist Tyla in the Grammy Awards, the antagonism between the two countries has intensified ahead of their crucial football encounter on Wednesday.
On X, a user commented, “South Africa won today, but Nigeria will win on Wednesday where it matters most.”
Over Davido, Ayra Starr, and Burna Boy, Tyla won for Best African Music Performance with her song Water.
The Super Eagles, Nigeria’s national team, have being urged to exact revenge by their countrymen.
In the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast, they take on South Africa.
“No Nigerian won a Grammy, but a South African won. This is Nigerians being generous so that when we win them in AFCON, they will have something to banter with,” another user wrote on X.
Related story:South African Tyla beats Nigerian stars to win first Grammy
The Best African Music Performance award was instituted this year; while some on the continent felt it was long overdue, the initiative was generally applauded.
On Sunday night, Tyla, the initial winner, joyfully took the trophy.
“This is crazy! I never thought I’d say I won a Grammy at 22 years old!” she exclaimed.
Despite having four nominations overall, Nigerian Afrobeats icon Burna Boy did not win a single golden record.
But the audience was mesmerized by his captivating performance during the awards ceremony.
Billy O, a musician from Nigeria, expressed his disappointment to the BBC, claiming that the paucity of votes for Nigerian performers to win the prize demonstrated the voters’ lack of genuine respect for Afrobeats and Afro RnB.
“Despite dominating in Africa, I think we are not really well appreciated when it comes to Grammys,” he stated.
Tyla received congrats from three-time Grammy nominee Davido on X, and he encouraged her to “keep soaring” in spite of the intense competition between South Africa and Nigeria.
Comedian Trevor Noah, who hosted the esteemed awards ceremony for a record-breaking fourth time, represented South Africa as well.
