The 59th Edition of the Grammys was disappointing not only for the Bey hive, who expected Beyoncé to finally win the Album Of The Year award, but also for millions of Nigerians who were expecting a statue either for Wizkid or for upcoming singer Kah Lo, or for the both of them.

Wizkid was on course to be recognised for his contribution to Drake’s 2016 Views album which was nominated for Album Of The Year. The singer was a prominent contributor to the album’s lead single, “One Dance”, where he was credited as a guest feature and a producer. Kah Lo, on the other hand, was nominated for the Best Dance Recording Of The Year for “Rinse and Repeat”, a record she collaborated on with the British DJ Riton. 

Sadly, Wizkid and Kah Lo will have to make do with a nomination for now but there was a singer of Nigerian descent who did go home with a Grammy, her name is Cynthia Erivo.

Cynthia Erivo is a singer and actress who was born to Nigerian immigrants in London. She won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album for the cast recording of the musical The Color Purple, she played the role of Celie Harris in the Menier Chocolate Factory production.

Erivo also performed on Grammy night, joining John Legend for the show’s In Memoriam segment. The pair sang a simple cover of the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows,”  while a montage of clips of musicians who died over the past year, like Leonard Cohen, George Michael, Prince, Phife Dawg, played in the background. Watch their performance below.

 

The Grammy award follows Erivo’s Tony award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the same role. Erivo is definitely one to look out for, before breaking onto the scene with her role in The Color Purple, she had appeared on various British television shows, such as Chewing Gum, and in the UK tour of Sister Act.