Los Angeles, United States – South African singer Tyla has won the Best African Music Performance award at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, triumphing over strong Nigerian contenders Burna Boy, Davido and Ayra Starr.
The award was presented during the main telecast on Sunday, February 2, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Tyla clinched the prize for her 2025 single “Push 2 Start,” beating:
- “Love” – Burna Boy (Nigeria)
- “With You” – Davido featuring Omah Lay (Nigeria)
- “Gimme Dat” – Ayra Starr featuring Wizkid (Nigeria)
- “Hope & Love” – Eddy Kenzo featuring Mehran Matin (Uganda)
Tyla, 23, becomes the second artist to win the category after securing the inaugural award in 2024 for “Water.” She is also the first South African to win the Grammy twice. Accepting the award, Tyla thanked her team, fans, and the continent, saying: “This is for every African child dreaming big. Amapiano and our sound are taking over the world. Thank you to the Recording Academy for seeing us.”
“Push 2 Start” became one of the biggest Afrobeats/amapiano crossover hits of 2025. The track spent 20 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard Afrobeats Songs chart, reached No. 1 on the UK Afrobeats Singles chart, debuted at No. 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and earned platinum certification in Brazil and New Zealand, along with gold status in several other markets. It also won Best Afrobeats at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.
Burna Boy, who led African nominations with two nods (Best African Music Performance and Best Global Music Album for No Sign of Weakness), was widely considered a strong favourite. Davido’s “With You” featuring Omah Lay and Ayra Starr’s “Gimme Dat” featuring Wizkid also received heavy support from fans and streaming numbers.
Tyla’s victory continues South Africa’s growing influence at the Grammys, following her 2024 win and nominations for other South African acts in recent years. It also marks the third consecutive year that an African artist has taken home the Best African Music Performance Grammy since the category was introduced in 2024.
The win was celebrated widely across Africa and the diaspora, with social media trending hashtags including #TylaGrammy, #Push2Start, and #AmapianoToTheWorld. Nigerian fans congratulated Tyla while expressing pride in the strong showing by their artists.
The 2026 Grammys featured multiple African and Afrobeats-related nominations, underscoring the genre’s continued mainstream breakthrough. Tyla’s win is seen as a milestone for amapiano’s global acceptance and a signal of Africa’s rising cultural power on the world stage.
Tyla’s acceptance speech and performance of “Push 2 Start” at the ceremony drew praise for blending amapiano rhythms with pop and R&B influences, further cementing her status as one of the leading voices in contemporary African music.
