Naira Ali Slams Grammys Over Tyla’s Wins

Tyla has been making history at the Grammy Awards, winning two trophies for Best African Music Performance.

She first took the award in 2024 for “Water,” then secured her second win for “Push 2 Start” at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.

Not everyone is celebrating, though.

Ugandan USA-based vocalist Naira Ali has criticized the Recording Academy’s decision to keep awarding Tyla.

She took to Facebook, arguing that the South African star does not capture African musical creativity.

Tyla is a misrepresentation of African music and its cultures, it is therefore so demeaning and almost an insult to African craft and creativity as a whole to keep awarding her on behalf of the continent.

She ended her message with a direct call to the awards body.

Grammys got to do better.

Reactions to her post have been divided, with some backing her stance and others pushing back hard.

Either way, the question of how African music gets recognised internationally remains wide open.