Here is why Tems is not the first Nigerian female Grammy winner

A few weeks ago, the media space was agog with congratulatory messages to Nigerian music superstar Tems for adding a Grammy Award to her collections. The talented singer won her first-ever Grammy at the recently-concluded 2023 Grammy Award.

Widespread jubilations and celebrations occurred across several social media platforms in Nigeria and many other countries with different captions that portrayed Tems as the first-ever Nigerian female entertainer to win a Grammy. However, a few days after the media hype, some people have countered and disputed the news that Tems is the first Nigerian female Grammy winner.

Further checks revealed that two Nigerian female entertainers – Helen Folashade Adu, popularly known as Sade Adu, and Cynthia Erivo, won Grammys many years before Tems. Although they are not residents of Nigeria, they have strong ties with Nigeria. Also, Yemi Alade and Niniola are Grammy Winners (by association) before Tems.

Here, we take a look at these Grammy-winning artists who came before Tems.

Helen Folashade Adu

Known popularly as Sade Adu, she is a Nigerian-born British singer and one of the most successful British female artists of all time. Sade is widely celebrated for her notable influence on contemporary music. She was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, on January 16, 1959, to a Nigerian father, Adebisi Adu, and an English nurse Anne Hayes, but she is a native of Ekiti State in Nigeria (her father’s State of origin). Sade Adu has won four Grammys out of nine Grammy nominations which include Best New Artist (1986), Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (1994), Best Pop Vocal Album (2022), and Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (2011).

Cynthia Erivo

The Nigerian actress, singer, and songwriter was born on January 8, 1987, in Stockwell, South London to a Nigerian father and mother. Cynthia is on the verge of becoming an EGOT, having won Emmy, Grammy, and Tony awards. In the 2017 Grammy Awards, Cynthia won Best Musical Theatre Album for “The Color Purple“.

Yemi Alade

Nigerian singer and multi-award winner, Yemi Alade, is yet to win an individual Grammy. However, she earned a Grammy by association for featuring on Angelique Kidjo’s Mother Nature, technically making her a Grammy winner the same way Wizkid won a Grammy for featuring in Beyoncé’s Brown Skin Girl music video. Though Yemi wasn’t listed in the nominations for the award, she received a Grammy Certificate for her participation in Kidjo’s Mother Nature which won the Best Global Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

Niniola

Niniola Apata, popularly known as Niniola, is another Nigerian female singer and songwriter with a Grammy Certificate in recognition of her participation as Composer on Beyoncé’s album The Lion King: The Gift, which won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards in 2019.