Davido has not won a Grammy award yet, but the famous Nigerian hitmaker has other reputable awards under his belt.
With a career spanning over a decade, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has simply taken Nigeria’s music to the world. The history of Nigerian music will never be complete without mentioning one of her brightest musical export – Davido.
He has a spot at the top among the leading artists in Nigeria and is known for his unique and diverse music styles. Nevertheless, the singer is yet to win a Grammy award, but fans earnestly believe that with his dedication and hard work, he is likely to win one soon.
How Many Awards Has Davido Won?
Despite being one of the best singers currently dominating the Nigerian music industry, Davido has not won a Grammy award. However, the singer has, throughout his career, won a total of 29 prominent awards.
Meanwhile, it has been recorded that it takes quite a lot for an African to win a Grammy, given that the prize is ascertained not by votes from industry professionals but by a small panel of racist experts comprising music journalists, presenters, and critics. This made people knock and criticize the Grammys as a purely money-making enterprise, with little or no concern for artistic accomplishment.
A Complete List of Davido’s Awards
Below are notable awards Davido has won since he took off his professional music career in 2013
The Headies
- 2012 – Next Rated Artist
- 2013 – His album Omo Baba Olow won the Best R&B/Pop Album
- 2013 – Hip Hop World Revelation
- 2014 – Artist of the Year
- 2014 – Aye won Song of the Year
- 2018 – Artist of the Year
- 2018 – If won Song of the Year
- 2018 – If won the Best Pop Single
Nigeria Entertainment Awards
- 2012 – Dami Duro won Hottest Single of the Year
- 2012 – Best New Act of the Year
- 2012 – Carolina by Sauce Kid ft Davido won Best Collabo of the Year
- 2013 – Best Pop/R&B Artiste of the Year
- 2014 – Gallardo by Runtown ft Davido won Best Collaboration
- 2014 – Male Artist of the Year
- 2014 – Aye won Hottest Single of the Year
Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA)
- 2012 – Dami Duro won Best Video By A New Artiste (Live Beats Choice)
- 2014 – Aye won the Best Afro Pop Video
African Muzik Magazine Awards
- 2014 – Best Male West Africa
- 2014 – Artist of the Year
Dynamix All Youth Awards
- 2011 – Promising Youth Artiste
- 2011 – Black When won Song of the Year
Channel O Music Video Awards
- 2012 – Dami Duro won Most Gifted Newcomer Video of the Year
Net Honours
- 2021 – Most Searched Musician (male)
Ben TV Awards
- 2014 – Aye won Music Video of the Year
City People Entertainment Awards
- 2014 – Musician Of The Year (Male)
Ghana Music Awards
- 2014 – African Artiste Of The Year
MTV Africa Music Awards
- 2014 – Best Male
- 2014 – Artist of the Year
Kora Awards
- 2012 – Best Newcomer Award
Best Awards
- 2014 – Best International Act: Africa
Why Davido Has Not Yet Won a Grammy Award
In 2021, the winners of the year’s Grammy Award were announced. To the astonishment of many Nigerians, the self-acclaimed Nigerian biggest musician, Davido, wasn’t among the winners, while his major rivals, Wizkid and Burna Boy, were awarded. This sparked a lot of controversy and an online rift between his fans, who could not fathom why Burna and Wizzy should be awarded and not Davido.
Here are some of the public opinions of why Davido has not won a Grammy Award
- Davido mostly sings about women, sex, and money. This is quite different from Burna Boy and Wizkid’s songs, which usually sink deep into the African culture, attitude, lifestyle, and issues facing Africans.
- He sings the same afrobeat songs that many other artists sing. Hence, his songs don’t cut across genres.
- His songs don’t have a revolutionary or powerful message
- On the other hand, some people also believe that Grammy is overrated and that Davido doesn’t even need it. To them, if he does need it, he could have bribed his way through to get it given that the voting process is said to be biased, and they also accept bribery and gifts.
- Kemi Olunloye believed Davido has not been able to win a Grammy because he usually makes his songs free to his fans which kills fans. According to the journalist, Davido only makes money from shows and appearances, not album sales. So, she emphasizes that if Davido wants to win a Grammy award, he should start selling his music because Grammys are not free downloads but sales-based.
Is Wizkid a Better Musician Because He has Won Grammy Award?
DMW and Starboy FC fans will forever be faced with the argument of who is a better musician via who has made or broken more records. The two stars are arguably the biggest artists dominating the Nigerian music industry, thus, establishing a rivalry among their fans.
Even though the duo involved had denied being in any form of competition, their fans have continued to do the job for them as they sometimes go to the extent of shading themselves on social media. Their real competition revolves around their fans, who are defensive and always ready to take sides with their favorite artist.
Davido is not Intimidated by Wizkid’s Grammy Award
The undeniable fact remains that Davido has had a very interesting musical journey. Even though Wizkid and Burna Boy have won Grammy awards before him, Davido is one Nigerian musician that has attained worldwide recognition and is waxing strong in his career. Reacting to Wizkid and Burna Boy’s GRAMMY Awards, the artist congratulated them in a tweet for hitting such a significant milestone and termed it a victory for our home country.
Whichever way you look at it, this is a victory for Nigeria for the culture and for my people ! Congrats to our winners! Tule Naija! 🇳🇬 #Grammys #foreverchoke
— Davido (@davido) March 15, 2021
Meanwhile, looking at their ages and active career years, it is evident that Wizkid and Davido are doing pretty well for themselves. They individually have large and loyal fan bases who love their different types of music and personalities. Therefore it will suffice to say that neither of them has a standout advantage over the other, save the Grammy.
Why Grammy Seems to be so Important to Artists
Learning to judge a work of art based on what is produced rather than the artist’s way of life is pertinent. Every artist has what moves them to achieve greatness, and when it comes to Davido, winning an award is just a personal thing. Hence, that should not attract heavy criticism.
On the other hand, Wizkid proved he is not the award freak either, as the victory did not even push a post from him long after the announcement. In some of his interviews, Starboy stated that winning awards generally does not freak him; instead, making good music does.