By Anita Eboigbe
Afrobeats artist Seun Kuti pulled a thrilling performance at the premiere ceremony of the 61st Grammy Awards.
Seun, the youngest son of the legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, failed to snag a win in the ‘World Music Award’ category in which he was nominated.
He, however, was the only Nigerian artist to perform at this year’s ceremony hosted by Shaggy where 70 categories of Grammy Awards were presented.
Seun performed alongside Malian singer/songwriter Fatoumata Diawara and Ángela Aguilar, Aida Cuevas and Natalia Lafourcade to cap off the celebrations.
The 36-year-old earned his first ever Grammy nomination for his 2018 released album, ‘Black Times’ and lost to South Africa’s Soweto Gospel Choir.
The choir grabbed their third Grammy Awards for the album ‘Freedom’, in a category that had the likes of Bombino from Niger, Mali’s Fatoumata Diawara and Soviet’s Yiddish Glory.
This is the fifth time a Kuti has been nominated for the Grammys. The older Femi Kuti has been nominated four times in 2003, 2010, 2012 and in 2014 for his album ‘No Place For My Dream’.
Seun has led his late father’s band ‘Eqypts 80′ since he was 14 years-old. His 2008 debut album, ‘Many Things’, was produced by Martin Meissonnier, who had already produced two albums for his father.
In 2011, he released a studio album called ‘From Africa with Fury: Rise’. It was recorded in London, produced by Brian Eno, John Reynolds and Seun himself.
Seun Kuti wasfeatured in Calle 13’s song “Todo se mueve” (Everything Moves), on their 2010 album Entren los que quieran. (NAN)
