MTV EMA Creates Afrobeats Category, Nominates Burna Boy, Asake, Others

Organisers of the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) have introduced a new category called ‘Best Afrobeats’ in the 2023 event.

The category was included in the 2023 MTV EMAs nominations announced on Wednesday.

The pioneer nominees in the category are French superstar, Aya Nakamura, and Nigerian singers, Asake, Arya Starr, Burna Boy, Davido and Rema.

Meanwhile, Rema’s collaborative hit song with Selena Gomez ‘Calm Down’ was nominated in the ‘Best Song’ and ‘Best Collaboration’ categories.

Asake, Burna Boy, Cameroonian diva, Libianca, Tanzanian star, Diamond Platnumz, and South Africa’s Tyler ICU were nominated in the ‘Best African Act’ category.

Burna Boy was also nominated in the “Best Live Performer” alongside Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, and others.

American singer, Taylor Swift bagged the nominations (7), including “Best Artist”, “Best Song” and “Best Video”, the latter for her single ‘Anti-Hero.’

The 2023 MTV EMAs are scheduled for November 5, 2023, in Paris, France.

LEADERSHIP recalls that an Afrobeats category was added to the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) for the first time in the award’s history.