Burna Boy celebrated his first Grammys win by performing at the premiere ceremony tonight (March 14) for the first time – scroll down the page to watch his performance now.
The Grammys 2021 is currently underway in Los Angeles, with the main bulk of awards given out in the premiere ceremony.
Harry Styles will kick off the main ceremony at 12am GMT, where the “general field” winners will be revealed, including Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Best New Artist.
Burna Boy closed out the premiere ceremony with a medley performance featuring ‘Level Up’ and ‘Onyeka’ from his 2020 album ‘Twice As Tall’, and ‘Ye’ from his 2018 record ‘Outside’.
He began the performance outside a stadium, joined by a gospel choir, before moving into a space decorated with stained glass where he was backed by musicians and dancers in traditional African dress. The performance finished in a room filled with dry ice and mirrored screens, with the gospel choir returning and more musicians dressed in white joining the action. Watch it below now.
It is the second time the artist has been nominated for a Grammy after his album ‘African Giant’ was given the nod for Best World Music Album in 2020. He is the first Nigerian artist to score back-to-back nominations at the annual ceremony.
This year, his record ‘Twice As Tall’ was up for Best Global Music Album, nominated alongside Antibalas, Bebel Gilberto, Anoushka Shankar and Tinariwen. He was announced as the award’s winner ahead of his performance.
“This is a big win for my generations of Africans all over the world,” he said when accepting the award. “This should be a lesson to every African that, no matter where you are, no matter what you plan to do, you can achieve it. Because you are a king.”
In a three-star review, NME said of ‘Twice As Tall’: “While it’ll always be hard to top his magnumopus ‘African Giant’ and fan favourite ‘Outside’, the star’s latest album is a satisfying sequel. It’s admirable to see him balance his signature sound with hints of exploration in collaborations such as ‘Monsters You Made’, all while remaining true to his mother tongue.”
Meanwhile, other performers due to appear tonight include BTS, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Haim, Megan Thee Stallion, DaBaby, Roddy Ricch, Dua Lipa, Cardi B and more.
You can follow all the Grammys 2021 winners as they happen here and keep checking back for more coverage of the ceremony on NME.com tonight.