Seun Kuti, son of late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, has been listed as one of the artistes billed to perform at the 61st Grammy Awards.
The award ceremony is scheduled to hold in February 10 at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, U.S.
This information was published on the Grammys’ official website on Thursday.
Seun, who was nominated for Best World Music Album in October 2018, will perform alongside Malian singer/songwriter, Fatoumata Diawara, at the award’s Premiere Ceremony.
Seun’s fourth album, “Black Times” earned him the nomination in the keenly contested category. “Black Times”, released in March 2018, debuted at number eight on the Billboard World Music Chart in the first week of its release.
Seun delivered a socially conscious album backed by his father’s Egypt 80 ensemble.
A statement on the Grammy website, published on Thursday, said, “The 61st Grammy Awards will start off with sizzle as the lineup for the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony has been revealed, led by Mr. Bombastic himself, Grammy winner and current nominee, Shaggy, as host.
The prelude to music’s biggest night will also feature performances by current nominated singer/songwriter Snatam Kaur, trumpeter Craig Morris and dance duo Sofi Tukker.
Nigerian Afrobeat artist Seun Kuti and Malian singer/songwriter Fatoumata Diawara will also perform together, and Ángela Aguilar, Aida Cuevas and Natalia Lafourcade will unite for the first time ever to perform “La Llorona,” a Mexican folkloric classic all three artists have recorded during their career.”
The Grammys noted that the award ceremony would be streamed live internationally on its website from 12:30pm (Pacific Time).
It added, “All of the premiere ceremony performers and the host are nominated this year, as are most of the presenters. Kuti & Egypt 80 are nominated for Best World Music Album for ‘Black Times.”
Seun’s brother, Femi Kuti, has also bagged four Grammy nominations in the World Music Category. He got his first nomination in 2003 for the album Fight to Win. Subsequent nominations came in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
In a related development, a song by a Nigerian singer, IBK Spaceshipboi, was featured on the twenty-seven seconds commercial for the 61st Grammy Awards .
