South African singer Tyla secured the Best African Music Performance award at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, held on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The 24-year-old artiste won with her song Push 2 Start, marking her second victory in the category and placing her firmly in Grammy history. Her win drew loud applause inside the arena and swift reactions across Africa’s music community, where her rise continues to feel both swift and deliberate.
This latest honour followed her landmark 2024 win for Water, which earned her the first-ever Grammy in the category when it was introduced. With the 2026 win, Tyla became the first artiste to claim the Best African Music Performance award twice since its creation. The back-to-back recognition reflected a rare consistency at a global awards platform that has often struggled to properly frame African music beyond trends.
The 2026 category carried strong competition, with nominees largely drawn from the continent’s most commercially and culturally influential acts. Nigerian stars dominated the shortlist, including Burna Boy with Love, Davido featuring Omah Lay on With You, and Ayra Starr featuring Wizkid on Gimme Dat. East Africa was also represented through Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin’s Hope & Love, reinforcing the pan-African scope the category was designed to highlight.
The Best African Music Performance award was created in 2024 to recognise recordings that showcase African music on its own terms, across languages, styles, and regions. Tyla’s win again placed Southern African pop and amapiano-inspired sounds at the centre of that conversation. Her success continued to challenge long-standing assumptions about which African markets dominate global recognition.
African music continues to evolve, and its global recognition now reflects sustained artistry rather than isolated moments. Tyla’s growing Grammy legacy suggested that African pop stars can build long-term international careers while staying rooted in the sounds that shaped them.
