Nigerian R&B sensation Temilade Openiyi, known as Tems, is on track to become the first African artist to win two Grammys in one night, according to Billboard. She is nominated in three categories at this year’s Grammys: Best African Music Performance for “Love Me Jeje,” Best Global Music Album for “Born In The Wild,” and Best R&B Song for “Burning.”
Billboard predicts that Tems will secure wins in two of these categories when the ceremony takes place at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, February 2nd. The prediction suggests that her song “Love Me Jeje,” which samples Seyi Sodimu’s 1997 hit of the same name, will take home the Best African Music Performance award, competing against tracks like “Tomorrow” (Yemi Alade), “MMS” (Asake & Wizkid), “Sensational” (Chris Brown featuring Davido & Lojay), and “Higher” (Burna Boy). However, Billboard has also highlighted “Sensational” as a “Look Out For” track, while noting that Burna Boy’s “Higher” is a formidable contender due to his reputation.
Last year, South African artist Tyla won the inaugural Best African Music Performance award with her song “Water.” Tems is also expected to win the Best Global Music Album category with her debut album, “Born In The Wild.” Competing in this category are “Alkebulan II” (Matt B featuring Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), “Paisajes” (Ciro Hurtado), “Heis” (Rema), and “Historias De Un Flamenco” (Antonio Rey). Notably, Tems is the only previous Grammy winner among this year’s nominees in that category, although Billboard acknowledges that “Historias De Un Flamenco” by Antonio Rey is a strong contender as well.
Given the Grammys’ reputation for surprises, it remains uncertain whether the predictions will hold true. South African comedian Trevor Noah will host Music’s Biggest Night for the fifth consecutive year, while Beyoncé leads the nominations at the 67th Grammys with a total of eleven nods.
