Tyla won the inaugural Grammy for Best African Music Performance in 2024.
The Recording Academy introduced the category for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, held on February 4, 2024. South African singer Tyla received the first trophy for her global hit “Water,” a song that helped bring amapiano-influenced pop to a much wider international audience. She became the category’s inaugural recipient rather than simply its first nominee.
The new award recognizes recordings incorporating distinctive musical traditions and styles from across the African continent and its diaspora. Its creation reflected the Grammy organization’s effort to give African popular music a dedicated place within the global music field. The first nominees also included Burna Boy, Davido featuring Musa Keys, Ayra Starr, and Asake and Olamide.
A frequent misconception is that the award went to the most prominent African artist nominated or to a performer in a general global category. The result was specifically Tyla for “Water,” and it was presented in a brand-new category whose first winner was decided in 2024.