Angélique Kidjo Submits Ayra Starr Duet Aye Kan for Grammys

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Angélique Kidjo is putting her collaboration with Ayra Starr in front of Grammy voters. The Beninese singer has submitted "Aye Kan (Are You Coming Back?)" for consideration in Best African Music Performance at the 2027 Grammy Awards . The submission follows the close of the entry window for the 2027 awards. According to Olori Supergal, first-round voting is scheduled to begin on October 12, 2026, the stage that decides which eligible recordings move toward nominations. About the song "Aye Kan" appears on Kidjo's album HOPE!! . Afrobeats Head describes it as a song about the importance of communication and understanding, with Ayra Starr contributing vocals. Kidjo's official site calls it a commitment-in-love anthem that questions what it means to be "rich" in a world that often puts status and money ahead of real care. The track came with a music video shot inside Power Station, the New York recording studio. Kidjo's site describes an intimate visual of the two singers performing amid candlelight and a grand piano. A full-circle collaboration The pairing has a personal story behind it. Ayra Starr was born in Benin Republic, Kidjo's home country, and she has said that watching Kidjo win a Grammy as a child made her believe the same dream was possible. "Angélique Kidjo winning in 2008 was so important for me to see," Starr said in an interview quoted on Kidjo's site. "She's from Benin Republic, which is where I was born, so it made me believe I could do the same thing one day." Kidjo says she found Starr through her music first. "Later, I sent her a DM saying I'd love to work with her," she said. The two reconnected at the Grammys, where Starr told Kidjo she had grown up listening to Kidjo's lullaby "Naima". "I started singing the lullaby to her, and she said it gave her goosebumps," Kidjo recalled. "I told her, 'I can sing it to you anytime. You're like a child to me.'" Kidjo is no stranger to cross-generational work with Nigerian stars. She also features on Davido's "Na Money" alongside The Cavemen. Kidjo's wider Grammy push "Aye Kan" is not Kidjo's only entry. Afrobeats Head reports that she has also submitted HOPE!! for Album of the Year and Best Global Music Album. Her song "BANDO", which features Pharrell Williams and Quavo, is listed for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Global Music Performance and Best Music Video. Kidjo's 2027 submissions "Aye Kan (Are You Coming Back?)" feat. Ayra Starr: Best African Music Performance HOPE!!: Album of the Year and Best Global Music Album "BANDO" feat. Pharrell Williams and Quavo: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Global Music Performance, Best Music Video Kidjo has won five Grammys from 16 nominations across her career, according to the Recording Academy figures cited by Afrobeats Head. Her wins include Best Global Music Album for Mother Nature at the 2022 ceremony. What it means for Ayra Starr For Starr, the entry offers another route back to the category where she has already been recognised twice. Afrobeats Head notes that both of her nominations so far came in Best African Music Performance: "Rush" for the 2024 awards and "Gimme Dat", her collaboration with Wizkid, for 2026. She has not yet won. The entry comes during a big month for the singer, who also performed the halftime show at an NFL game in London, a moment covered in our report on that show . A submission is only an entry, not a nomination. Afrobeats Head stresses that it does not guarantee a place, and Olori Supergal says the song's chances remain uncertain until voters have their say. What's next Recording Academy members now vote in the first round. The Academy has not yet announced the final nominees for the 2027 awards. When it does, Best African Music Performance will once again be one of the most closely watched categories for fans of African music. Sources: Afrobeats Head | Olori Supergal | Angélique Kidjo (official site)