The Soweto Gospel Choir are no more new to Grammy listing as they won the category in 2009. But they’re back with Freedom album.

Seun Anikulapo Kuti is a member of the internationally acclaimed Kuti clan. The father Fela Kuti was known as the originator of Afrobeat music. Seun inherited his father’s band despite intrigues within the family, he has steered the band to international prominence. He affirmed ‘Black Times’ nomination showed The Egypt 80 band has come of age.

Malian songstress, Fatoumata Diawara was born in Ivory Coast but now lives in Paris. Her album Fenfo makes her the actual female star to step into Miriam Makeba’s shoes perfectly. Everyone knows that the Malians built their music on their root. The Grammy stage has never been a strange one to the Malians. In fact, it’s a familiar root.

This music act Deran is from Niger. Through music, Deran, a band of Tuareg vocalists and guitarists have been able to bring consciousness and world attention to Niger and Nigeriens singing about famine, hunger and economic emancipation. Love they believe brings development to any society. The band got selected into the World Music category with a critically acclaimed album titled ‘Bombino’

‘The Lost Songs of World WAR II is a compilation album of Yiddish songs discovered by Yiddish professor Anna Shternshis. She found out that the recordings of Jewish Red Army had survived beyond ethnomusicologists and other acts who were the custodians of those songs. Songs narrating the experiences of war refugees, prisoners, victims and survivors of Ukrainian ghettos. It is indeed a glory for the Yiddish.

Story by Ireho Aito.