All South African Grammy Award winners in the past 10 years

South Africa’s musical talent has been making waves on the global stage. Here is a look at SA Grammy Award winners over the past 10 years.

BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the South African vocal harmony group, won the Best World Music Album Grammy twice: in 2014 and in 2018. This group is one of the best known SA Grammy Award winners. The winning album in 2014 was Live: Singing for Peace Around the World and in 2018 Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30th Anniversary Celebration.  

The late Joseph Shabalala formed Ezimnyama in 1959, which he later christened Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Ladysmith for his hometown, Black for the local livestock, and Mambazo, Zulu for axe. The latter is a metaphor for the group’s sharpness. Their a cappella songs became hugely popular in South Africa after they released their debut album in 1973. They later added religious music to their repertoire. After collaborating with Paul Simon on his album Graceland, Ladysmith Black Mambazo received global recognition.

WOUTER KELLERMAN AND OTHERS

In 2015, South African flute player Wouter Kellerman and Ricky Kej, an Indian music composer, won the Best New Age Album Grammy Award for Winds Of Samsara. The album had debuted at number 1 on the US Billboard New Age Albums Chart the previous year.

Kellerman is not only an award-winning flautist, but also a composer, producer, and philanthropist. He has established a significant legacy in the music industry.

Last year, Kellerman received his second Grammy, Best Global Music Performance, for the song Bayethe. The song, released in 2022, is a fusion of maskandi, Afro-pop, and dance music. He shared the award with South African House musician Zakes Bantwini and vocalist Nomcebo Zikode. The award ceremony took place in Los Angeles, California.

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM 

Subconsciously, an album by Black Coffee, won the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2022. The win marked the first time a South African producer has won in this category. Taking the stage during the premiere ceremony he said,

“I want to thank God for the gift of music and being able to share it with the world and heal some souls”.

Billboard 

THIS YEAR’S GRAMMY AWARD

Lastly, Tyla brought home the Grammy for Best African Music Performance, a newly added category, at the 2024 award ceremony for her song Water. Of all SA Grammy Award winners, Tyla is the youngest. The 22-year-old singer was taken aback when winning the trophy, which was awarded by Jimmy Jam during the ceremony. 

“This is crazy, I never thought I’d say I won a Grammy at 22 years old.”

City of Johannesburg

Tyla made history as the first-ever Best African Music performance winner. The Academy created this category in order to be able to honour music from the African continent.