Meet the African acts nominated for the 2019 Grammy Awards

The 2019 Grammy Award nomination list is out!

The highly anticipated list of the artists and songs that deserve the prestigious award has been published and among the many global artistes are four African acts.

Nigeria is represented by Seun Kuti, the son of superstar Fela Kuti.

Seun and his band Egypt 80 were nominated for their album, Black Times, for best world music album.

About the album, Seun said:

“Black Times is a true reflection of my political and social beliefs. It is an album for anybody who believes in change and understands the duty we have to rise up and come together. The elites always try to divide the working class and the poor people of the world. The same oppression felt by workers in Flint, Michigan is felt by workers in Lagos and Johannesburg.”

Also nominated in the same category is Soweto Gospel Choir for their album Freedom.   This would be the third time the choir has been nominated, having won the 2007 and 2008 Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album for their Blessed and African Spirit albums respectively.

From Mali is Fatoumata Diawara, whose album Fenfo, which means Something To Say,  is up against the aforementioned albums.

Also in this category is Niger-born musician Bombino for his album, Deran.

For Bombino, making the album was a way of getting close to the motherland.

“My mission for this album was always to get closer to Africa,” he told his label Partisan Records.