Nigerian Afrobeats star Rema has emerged as the winner of the inaugural Best Afrobeats award at the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs).
The award was introduced in 2023 to recognize the growing popularity of Afrobeat’s music around the world.
Rema beat out fellow nominees Aya Nakamura, Asake, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, and Davido to win the award.
He was also nominated for Best Collaboration for his hit song “Calm Down” with Selena Gomez, but lost to Jung Kook and Latto’s “Seven.”
He lost the “Best Collaboration” category to Jung Kook and Latto’s ‘Seven.’
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Burna Boy lost three awards, including “Best Afrobeats”, “Best African Act’, and “Best Live Performer.”
This came barely two weeks after he lost all seven nominations at the 2023 BET Hip-Hop Awards.
American singer Taylor Swift led the winners chart with three awards at the 2023 MTV Europe Music Awards, Best Video, Best Artist, and Best Live.