Recording Academy member explains how Grammy award winners are chosen

The 2026 Grammy Awards, held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, saw five Nigerian artistes (Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Omah Lay, Ayra Starr) lose in their respective nominated categories.

South African singer Tyla edged them out to claim the “Best African Music Performance” award for the second time since the category was introduced in 2024.

The win sparked widespread debate, controversy, and speculation over the factors that influenced the outcome, as well as questions about the authenticity of the winner’s selection.

Addressing the matter, Richardine Bartee, a New York-based African-American music and lifestyle blogger and a member of the Grammy Recording Academy since 2022, provided clarity on the awards’ selection process in an interview with Vanguard newspaper.

Decider

Ms Bartee explained that the awards are decided by music professionals, including artists, producers, and industry executives, who vote to recognise excellence among their peers.

She added that Tyla’s victory over the Nigerian nominees was due to the strength of her team and the extensive global support behind her music.

“A critical factor behind Tyla’s GRAMMY win is the strong team and global backing she has. Tyla is signed to Epic Records, one of the most respected record labels in the United States, with a long history of working with world-class artists, including the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

“Being part of such a powerful label means access to the right strategy, promotion, and industry connections. These factors help ensure her music reaches the right audiences and decision-makers worldwide. In many ways, Tyla’s consistent wins across major award ceremonies reflect not just her talent, but also the strength and experience of the team supporting her career,” the paper quoted her saying.

Selection

In February 2024, this newspaper examined the Grammy Awards’ voting process and criteria for selecting winners across categories, following public outcry from Nigerians who alleged foul play after South African singer Tyla defeated some of the country’s biggest music stars.

At the time, Tyla’s hit single “Water” triumphed over Davido’s “Unavailable”, Asake’s “Amapiano”, Burna Boy’s “City Boys” and Ayra Starr’s “Rush.”

The Grammy selection process begins with the submission of entries, followed by a screening to ensure eligibility.

Voting members of the Recording Academy then cast ballots for up to five nominees per category within their areas of professional expertise.

After nominations are announced, voting members, who include performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, instrumentalists, and other active professionals in the recording industry, determine the winners.

Members are allowed to vote in up to ten categories across a maximum of three genre Fields, in addition to the four General Field categories.

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To safeguard the integrity of the process, members are instructed to vote only in Fields where they are peers of the nominees.

Independent accounting firm

Once voting closes, an independent accounting firm, Deloitte, takes over the results stage, confidentially tabulating all votes and keeping the outcomes sealed until the official announcement.

While Deloitte plays no role in selecting nominees or winners, it receives the ballots from the Recording Academy after the final voting round strictly for security and confidentiality purposes during the tabulation process.

Notably, some Nigerians were part of the Grammy voting membership, including Davido, songwriter Tito Da Fire, rapper and Big Brother Naija winner Laycon, music executive Bizzle Osikoya, and singers Oxlade and Praiz.

This newspaper reported that Davido joined the voting body later, while the others were admitted as members of the Recording Academy’s Class of 2022.