This week brought major moments across music, film and digital culture, from Grammy submissions and two big tour announcements to a new film heading to London and audiobooks arriving on Spotify in Nigeria. Here are the stories that made headlines this week.
1. Tems and Ayra Starr Enter the 2027 Grammy Race, With Starrgirl Submitted for Album of the Year
Tems and Ayra Starr are among the Nigerian artists who have submitted work for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards. Ayra Starr entered her album Starrgirl in categories including Album of the Year and Best Global Music Album. Tems submitted her project Love Is a Kingdom for Album of the Year, Best Global Music Album, Best Album Cover and Best Engineered Album. Tems is already a two-time Grammy winner, while Ayra Starr has two nominations to her name. Submissions are not nominations. First-round voting runs from October 12 to 22, nominees are expected on November 16, and the ceremony takes place on February 7, 2027 in Los Angeles.
2. Ayra Starr Announces the Starrgirl World Tour After Her NFL London Halftime Show
Ayra Starr has announced the Starrgirl World Tour, a 20-city run supporting her third studio album, Starrgirl, which was released on August 14. The tour opens on January 20, 2027 at Live Music Hall in Cologne, with European stops including Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, Zurich and Brussels, before ending the leg in London on February 2. North American dates begin in Houston on March 18 and end at The Fillmore in San Francisco on April 14. She is also expected to return to Africa in December 2026, with details yet to be announced. The announcement follows her October 11 performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where she became the first Afrobeats artist to headline an NFL International Game halftime show. General ticket sales begin today, October 16.
3. Tyla Kicks Off the A*POP World Tour in Paris and Amsterdam
Tyla began her A*POP World Tour this week, opening at Zénith Paris on October 12 and playing AFAS Live in Amsterdam on October 13. The 34-date run supports her second album, A*POP, released on July 24, and is her first full headline tour across Europe, the UK, North America and Africa. London’s O2 Academy Brixton follows on October 15, with more European dates, a North American leg from November 12, and African shows in Lagos, Cape Town and Johannesburg planned for the end of the year and into January. The tour puts the two-time Grammy winner in front of fans across multiple continents.
4. Jarvis Hosts Her First Pregnancy Livestream on Twitch
Jarvis went live on Twitch with a stream titled “My First Pregnancy Stream,” her first broadcast since she and Peller announced on October 8 that they are expecting their first child. The two-hour session drew about 48,000 views and gave fans a closer look at this new chapter. It follows months of speculation, including the moment earlier this month when she let slip during a livestream that the baby was kicking. For the couple, whose relationship has played out largely on livestream, the stream is another step in bringing their audience along as they prepare for parenthood.
5. Chinazaekpere Chukwu’s Her Daughters’ Mother Heads to Film Africa 2026
Chinazaekpere Chukwu’s feature directorial debut, Her Daughters’ Mother, has been selected for Film Africa 2026 and will screen at EbonyLife Place in London on October 28. Set in Benin, the film follows Ejiro, a woman married off at sixteen who returns years later, widowed and with two daughters, determined to give them a different future. The cast includes Ejovwoke Obas Olikuntuyi, Osas Okonyon, Philip Asaya, Najite Dede and Adeoluwa Akintoba. The film explores the quiet resilience of women across generations and marks a notable step for Chukwu, who has previously worked in shorts.
6. Spotify Brings Audiobooks to Nigeria
Spotify has expanded its audiobook offering to Nigeria, giving listeners another way to enjoy books on the go. Free and Premium users can subscribe to the Audiobooks+ add-on, priced at ₦2,300 per month, and can download titles to listen offline. Local publishers and self-published authors can also reach listeners through Spotify for Authors. The launch is part of Spotify’s wider plan to bring audiobooks to more than 180 markets by the end of 2026, and it gives Nigerian authors a new route to a global audience.
7. Tyla Launches the That Girl Music Scholarship for 10 Female Music Students
Tyla has launched the That Girl Music Scholarship, named after a song on her A*POP album, in partnership with Epic Records, Sony Music and the Institute of International Education. Ten women pursuing music degrees will each receive $5,000. Six awards are tied to US tour stops (New York, Washington D.C., Tampa, Atlanta, Houston and Los Angeles) and four are reserved for students in South Africa. Recipients will also get concert tickets and a meet-and-greet with Tyla. Applicants must be full-time undergraduates studying music or arts-related courses and show financial need, with applications reportedly closing on October 30.
From Grammy submissions and world tours to a new Nigerian film and a new way to read, the week showed Nigerian talent travelling well beyond home. Grammy voting continues until October 22, Ayra Starr’s tickets are now on sale, and Her Daughters’ Mother screens in London on October 28.
