What Are Davido’s Chances with Winning a Grammy?

Can Davido win a Grammy?

Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy are the “Big Three” of Nigerian music, but whilst Wiz and Burna have achieved recognition at the Grammys, Davido is yet to do so. Three of them share 25 Headies Awards, 15, 8, and 2 in that order.

A poll shared on our Twitter page on Tusday, March 22 made an inquiry into the 29-year-old’s chances of winning a Grammy.

The poll lasted for 24 hours and had 1589 participants. 45.5% of those people voted in favour of a Davido win, whereas 33.6% weren’t quite sure, and 20.9% think he doesn’t stand any chance.

The Grammy is without doubt the most coveted prize for music. It remains an undeletable mark of excellence in the global industry, as the recognotion puts an artist right up there in the list of the very best craftsmen to ever do it.

That is not to say several musical greats have not come and gone without winning the Grammy or that one has to win the award to be considered great.

However, for a great musician, winning a Grammy is like putting the icing on a very delicious cake or paintings over a beautifully built house.

The intricacies of the selection process at the Grammy Academy coupled with fierce competition amongst artists contribute to the difficulty in taking home the shinny megaphone.

Then there will always be structural barriers, including issues concerning discrimination and lack of sufficient data. African and Nigerian artists probably suffer these problems the most.

Many still consider the Grammys a “white boy’s” fantasy. It’s not entirely a lie. Of course, the system was designed by and for America, the home of the Academy.

However, that makes it the more telling what African acts such as Angelique Kidjo, Soweto Choir, Kellerman, Burna Boy – and the rest that have won the award through their original work – have done.

Wizkid will most likely join that list when the 2022 Grammys go down on the 4th of April, and it could be one Nigerian handing over the baton to another if he emerges winner of the Best Global Album category.

So it really begs asking the question, can Davido win a Grammy?

Wizkid’s dual nomination is a huge testament to how much he has evolved as an artist and Afrobeats’ posterboy. While trends on social media will suggest he, alongside Davido own the biggest fanbases in Nigeria, the proximity of those who think Davido will win a Grammy and those who are not quite sure in our poll clearly suggests the level the DMW boss is at in terms of winning music’s most coveted prize.

Stats like that might have skewed interpretations anyway, but the combination of those who think Davido will win a Grammy and those who think he has a chance completely dwarfs the percentage of the naysayers.

That’s majorly because Davido has got all it takes to win a Grammy, including much required international acclaim. The next challenge, perhaps, is to satisfy the requirements at the Grammy Academy in terms of originality of thought and creativity, clear message, and impact.

However, like this article has highlighted earlier, not every great artist will win a Grammy in their lifetime, and even if Davido doesn’t manage the feat, his legacy as one of the best and most influential Nigerian musicians ever has already been engraved on a stonewall.