Entertainment
Performances That Thrilled the Audience at The Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards is often more of a concert than a prize-giving gala, with many of the dozens of trophies handed out before the main event.
But on Sunday, after a year when the music industry was devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, the performances, many of them live from Los Angeles, respecting social distancing guidelines, seemed more electrifying than usual.
Here is a look at the high points of the night:
Hot girl antics
First, there was Megan Thee Stallion, who body-rolled and booty-popped in a series of bedazzled bodysuits that showed off her enviable thighs through her hits “Body” and “Savage.”
After an odd but perfect tap-dancing break, there was fellow rapper Cardi B, who offered “Up,” her latest single, looking like an armored sultry superhero in a futuristic neon set with eye-opening graphics.
And then, the night came to a head with “WAP.” The bawdy summer smash brimming with sexual metaphors, whose name refers to a saucy acronym referring to a well-lubricated vagina — would have been a likely candidate for the cutting room floor on broadcast network TV.
But after a year indoors with no live performance, the Academy amped up the mood with a little “WAP” — censored, yet satisfying.
The pair celebrated female sexual pride with gyrations, twerks, and a few pole twirls, peaking with a jaw-dropping scissoring flip on a massive bed.
“This is my first time at the Grammys, but it’s not my first time entertaining you,” Megan Thee Stallion told the audience.
Pop music’s flow
After facing years of accusations that its performances were staid, tribute-heavy, and stuck in the past, the Recording Academy rolled out a series of heavyweight performances that for once seemed to capture the true face of pop.
One perfect sequence saw rappers DaBaby and Roddy Ricch perform an orchestral version of the chart-topper “Rockstar,” followed by Latin trap king Bad Bunny, who took the stage to deliver a club-ready glowing rendition of the hit “Dakiti.”
And then came British pop star Dua Lipa, who actually appeared to levitate in a blooming purple dress to perform “Levitating.”
She stripped down to a disco-perfect sporty bikini for her smash “Don’t Start Now,” with eye-catching, high-kicking, aerobics-style choreography fit for a Jane Fonda workout video.
Pop star Harry Styles, who scored his first Grammy ever Sunday, impressed with his outfit, which included a fluffy green boa paired with a leather jacket and pants, highlighted by a bare chest.
His sexy stage antics got Twitter talking as he delivered a rendition of his erotica-tinged hit “Watermelon Sugar.”
Afro-Pop to the World
Burna Boy closed out the 2021 Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony with a medley performance just after winning his first-ever Grammy Awards for his 2020 album “Twice as Tall”. Burna Boy performed a mash-up of “Level Up” and “Onyeka” from his 2020 album “Twice As Tall”, and “Ye” from his 2018 album “Outside”.
His performance began outside the National Arts Theatre in Lagos. He was joined by a choir dressed in white, before moving into a space decorated with stained glass where he was backed by musicians and dancers in traditional African dress.
Country’s women get their moment
Country music doesn’t always get a lot of air time at the Grammys, but in a year when women ruled the night, it was only fitting that three of the genre’s most compelling female stars took the stage.
First up: Mickey Guyton, who is the only Black woman ever nominated in a country category. She delivered a beautiful rendition of her hit “Black Like Me,” before ceding the stage to Miranda Lambert, winner of the Best Country Album prize.
Lambert sang “Bluebird” before handing over to Maren Morris, who sang “The Bones” with John Mayer backing her up on guitar and vocals.
In a genre that has been roiled in controversy in recent years for its white, macho bent, the women offered a different face of country music.
Remembering those lost
The Grammys pays tribute every year to industry greats who have died, but the segment took on added poignancy given the hundreds of thousands of US deaths from the coronavirus, including John Prine, who won two posthumous awards.
A constellation of stars joined forces for the “In Memoriam” homage, first up were Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, singing “Long Tall Sally” and “Good Golly, Miss Molly” in honor of Little Richard, who died in 2020 at age 87.
Then, in an emotional high point, pop crooner Lionel Richie came out to sing “Lady,” the hit song he wrote for the late Kenny Rogers.
He was followed by Brandi Carlile, who honored Prine by singing his “I Remember Everything,” for which he won the two awards posthumously.
“It was an unspeakable honor to sing it tonight,” Carlile tweeted.
The moving segment wrapped up with a soulful rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by bluesy rocker Brittany Howard, accompanied by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin on piano.
Demand for justice
Lil Baby staged a powerful performance of his protest song “The Bigger Picture,” which opened with actor Kendrick Sampson of “Insecure” getting shot by police after being found sleeping in his car.
The song that earned the rapper nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song provided powerful comment on police brutality, after a year rocked by massive anti-racism protests triggered after George Floyd, a Black man, was killed in police custody.
The set shifted to a police lineup and Black Lives Matter rally, with activist Tamika Mallory offering a plea for help.
“It’s a state of emergency,” she said.
“President Biden, we demand justice, equity, policy, and everything else that freedom encompasses. And to accomplish this, we don’t need allies, we need accomplices.”
“It’s bigger than black and white. This is not a trend, this is our plan: Until freedom! Until freedom!”
The Guardian
The Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria has voiced strong objection to ban imposed by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on rapper Eedris Abdulkareem’s trending song, “Tell Your Papa.”
The IPMAN President, Pretty Okafor, emphasised that the ban was likely to backfire, as it only serves to amplify the song’s reach and relevance in light of the current socio-economic challenges facing Nigerians.
Okafor stated: “The first major mistake is banning the song because it’s going to make the song even go viral right now. Those who haven’t heard about the song or haven’t even listened to it will go now to look for the song and will start promoting it. The song has practically pinched the government somewhere, that’s why they ordered for the ban. So, there is already a mistake that has been made by the NBC or even the government by paying attention to that particular song.”
Discussing PMAN’s position on the matter, Okafor remarked, “We don’t have the power to offer the artiste support right now because it is a very sensitive issue, so, we need to be careful. We will just be watching because people are dying and the suffering is too much. How do we repair the economy? We cannot pretend that all is well. The song is telling us the truth, and there is nothing wrong with that song.”
The NBC barred Nigerian radio and television stations from airing the trending song, “Tell Your Papa,” by popular rapper Eedris Abdulkareem, citing its “objectionable nature.”
In a memo dated April 9, 2025, and issued by the Coordinating Director of Broadcast Monitoring, Susan Obi, the commission declared the track “Not To Be Broadcast” under Section 3.1.8 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
This section prohibits content deemed inappropriate, offensive, or in breach of public decency from being aired on Nigerian broadcast platforms.
According to NBC, while the song had gained momentum across social media platforms, its lyrical content failed to meet the standards of responsible broadcasting.
The statement titled, “Restriction on broadcasting ‘Tell Your Papa’ by Eedris Abdulkareem,” reads, “The National Broadcasting Commission has identified the song ‘Tell Your Papa’ by Eedris Abdulkareem, currently trending on social media, as content deemed inappropriate for broadcast due to its objectionable nature.
” It is, therefore, classified as Not To Be Broadcast (NTBB), as it violates Section 3.1.8 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
“The commission requests that your station exercises discretion and refrains from airing this song to maintain responsible broadcasting standards.”
The controversial song, released earlier this week, targets Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, calling on him to confront his father over the worsening socio-economic conditions in Nigeria.
In the track titled “Tell Your Papa,” which was shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Abdulkareem delivered a blunt message, painting a grim picture of the hardships facing everyday Nigerians.
The song comes in response to Seyi Tinubu’s recent comments in Adamawa State, where he described his father as “the greatest President in Nigeria’s history.”
In the hard-hitting lyrics, Abdulkareem raps, “Seyi, tell your papa country hard. Tell your papa people dey die. Tell your papa this one don pass jagajaga.”
“Seyi, how far? I swear your Papa no try. Too much empty promises. On behalf of Nigerians, take our message to him; kidnappers dey kill Nigerians.
“Seyi, try travel by road without your security, make you feel the pains of fellow Nigerians. You dey fly private jets, insecurity no be your problem.”
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, last Sunday sponsored the premier of Radio Voice, the much-anticipated movie produced by Richard Mofe-Damijo.
At the event held at the Alliance Francaise, Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos, Mofe-Damijo described the movie as “the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. It’s about the life of people on radio and their challenges and the things they have to go through; cyber bullying and the like, and succeeding against all odds. I don’t want to reveal everything about it; it’s a movie everyone needs to watch”.
Explaining why he is venturing into movie production, he explained, “It’s time when it’s time, you know. I’ve produced before but this is the first time in the new era, so to speak”.
Since launch in 2003, Globacom has carved a niche as the biggest corporate supporter of Nigeria’s entertainment industry. The company has signed on many musicians, actors and comedians as brand ambassadors, sponsored several entertainment reality shows including X Factor, Glo Naija Sings, Battle of the Year and Dance with Peter, and also hosted several music and comedy shows across Nigerian cities to avail talents in the industry the grace to their gifts.
Radio Voice is a motivational story of resilience, passion and transformation. It features notable Nollywood giants including Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD), who equally produced the movie; Nse Ikpe Etim, Nancy Isime, Deyemi Okanlawon, Damilola Adegbite and Timini Egbuson.
Radio Voice has the support of the Office of the Vice President as it is meant to complement the Federal Government’s investment in the Creative Arts and Digital Transformation.
Afrobeat music singer, Davido, has announced that his Church wedding with Chioma will take place in August, 2025.
The singer disclosed this in a recent interview with The Breakfast Club.
He likened the upcoming event with the traditional marriage in Nigeria, which he said was a “Carnival”.
Davido said: “I’m doing my white wedding in Miami (USA) in August. The wedding I did was traditional; it was like a carnival in Nigeria, like a holiday. The whole world stood still. Me and my wife’s relationship was in the public eye, especially after I did that one song.
“So, a lot of things happened. Even apart from losing our child, I messed up a lot of times so that full circle moment everyone was like finally she can get what she deserves.”
