Nigerian singer Divine Ikubor, also known as Rema, emerged as the winner of the first-ever “Best Afrobeats” award at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
This new category was introduced for the 2023 event.
The initial nominees included French superstar Aya Nakamura, as well as Nigerian artists Asake, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Davido, and Rema.
The award ceremony was cancelled due to the Israel-Hamas war, but the winners were still announced on November 6, 2023.
Rema won the “Best Afrobeats” category, and Diamond Platnumz from Tanzania won the “Best African Act” category. However, Rema and Selena Gomez’s song “Calm Down” did not win in the “Best Collaboration” category, losing to Jung Kook and Latto’s song “Seven”.
Burna Boy, a Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, did not win in three categories: “Best Afrobeats”, “Best African Act”, and “Best Live Performer”.
Just two weeks after losing all seven nominations at the 2023 BET Hip-Hop Awards, American singer Taylor Swift dominated the 2023 MTV Europe Music Awards.
She took home three awards, including Best Video, Best Artist, and Best Live.
