The year 2024 has been a globe-spanning and record-breaking moment for African music, marked by historic milestones and unprecedented achievements. From releasing bangers, headlining international festivals and topping charts to dominating awards ceremonies, African creatives have had a great year. As compiled by the Revolve Muzic staff, below are the 5 hottest highlights in 2024.
- Tyla Winning Multiple Awards: This year, the South African songstress made history by becoming the first African act to win a Grammy Award for the newly introduced ‘Best African Music’ after getting her debut nomination. While Afrobeats and amapiano are certainly crossing over in America, Tyla’s win reflects how Western influence is often necessary for African music to transcend the continent. Following her success with the Recording Academy, she cemented her status as a global icon by tripling her wins at the European Music Awards (EMAs). Tyla won ‘Best R&B Song’ for “Water”, ‘Best R&B Act’ and ‘Best International Act ‘. These wins testify to her solidified position in the global music space and reach.
- Davido’s Triple Grammy Nominations: As a standard bearer for Afrobeats and the Nigerian music industry, Davido tripled his Grammy nominations this year as a first-time nominee of the Recording Academy. Making history and cementing his superstar status, he bagged the nominations for Best Global Music Performance, Best Global Music Album and Best African Music Performance — Thanks to his ‘Timeless’ LP and ‘Unavailable’ monster hit song featuring Amapiano star Musa Keyys.
- This year, African musicians dominated the music space globally with international features and one of such creatives is Tanzanian music powerhouse Diamond Platnumz. Capitalizing on his feature, Diamond’s collaboration with American singer Jason Derulo birthed a chart-topping single ‘Komasava’, a record which resonates with listeners and music lovers. The duo merged Afrobeats with pop for the well-crafted record.
- For the first time ever, Burna Boy erformed at the Grammys, noting that he is the decorated and highly-profiled Afro-fusion and Afrobeats superstar qualified to do so. The ‘Last Last’ hitmaker dazzled the audience with “Sittin’ on Top of the World,” alongside Grammy-winning R&B icon Brandy and rapper 21 Savage. The show-stopping display was the debut Afrobeats performance on the Grammy stage. The historic splash at the 2024 Grammys by the singer earned the 6th spot on Billboard’s performance rankings.
These historic milestones underscore African music’s surging popularity and global reach. Superstars such as Tyla, Davido, Diamond Platnumz and Burna Boy’s achievements under the Year Under Review are redefining the continent’s industry’s landscape. They are also building legacies and leaving a blueprint with their crafts and records.
