When Kenyan band, Jabali Afrika, was invited to record a song on an album by a Peruvian artiste, they would not have imagined that this was going to be their ticket to a second Grammy nomination.
The announcement of nominees for the 68th Grammy Awards last week caught the brothers, Joseck and Justo Asikoye, by surprise.
The album Herstory by US-based Peruvian singer-songwriter Flor Bromley, which includes her collaboration with Jabali Afrika, has been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Children’s Music Album.
This is the second Grammy nomination for the Kenyan group after receiving their first in 2022 in the same category. “This time we are not rookies,” declares singer-songwriter and producer Joseck.
“The Grammys is the ultimate stage for the who is who in the industry, it is where you rub shoulders with the movers and shakers in this business and of course, our aim is to win this time.”
Jabali Afrika members Joseck and Justo Asikoye at the 64th Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, nominated for Best Children’s Album.
Photo credit: Pool
Interestingly, this collaboration with Flo Bromley is itself a product of an encounter at the Grammys three years ago. “We met Lucy Kalantari, an accomplished musician and producer in the family music space, at the 2022 ceremony in Las Vegas,” recalls Joseck. “So, when she called us and said she needed our East African vibe on Flor’s record we were ready to go.”
Joseck and his brother bring their powerful vocals and throbbing percussions to the track I Run with My Heart (Fatuma’s Song). The song was inspired by Fatuma Roba, the Ethiopian athlete who was the first African woman to win the Olympic marathon competition at the Atlanta games in 1996.
“You know in every vibe, we put our harmonies and percussions front and centre like we have always done through the years,” says Justo.
Their trademark melodies are simple yet irresistible, arranged against the background of traditional drums and an array of African percussions.
Bromley psyches people to keep running “like a cheater” while Jabali Afrika chant: “When you run you free your mind from the worries and the sorrows. Kimbia. Kimbia. Kimbia.”
“Working with Jabali Afrika was an absolute joy,” says Flor, whose name means ‘flower’ in Spanish. “Their sound brings so much life, colour, and authenticity to Herstory.”
Justo and Joseck Asikoye of Kenyan music group Jabali Afrika.
Photo credit: Pool
The professionally trained musical theatre actor based in New York blends her Latin heritage with global rhythms and hails the group for capturing the spirit of Fatuma’s determination, courage and patriotism.
The song resonates with the album’s theme of honouring influential women from different parts of the world with each track celebrating empowerment, diversity, and leadership by connecting global cultures.
“Music has no borders. Collaborating with Flor on this song allowed us to share part of our Kenyan identity and rhythm with children everywhere,” says Joseck. “It is powerful to be part of an album that tells stories of women who are changing the world. That is how you inspire children through music.”
The album’s messages range from the rap of the title track which champions brave women who have defied historical gender biases to the rock-inspired call to action on climate justice, Anger into Action (Greta’s Song).
Among the other artistes featured on the album are 2022 Best Children’s Grammy winners, Alphabet Rockers, Peruvian-American percussionist Tony Succar, composer-pianist Charu Suri, and Looney Tunes Preschool Music.
“This album is deeply personal, I created it for my daughter and for all the children out there who deserve to see strong, inspiring female role models leading the way,” says Bromley.
The album’s producer, Kalantari, is a two-time winner of the Grammy Award for Best Children’s Music Album and has built her career on creating music to positively impact and shape young minds.
“The family music network is a big platform with many diverse artistes,” explains Joseck. His own group’s first major exposure in the US was showcasing their musical style on the iconic children’s educational TV programme Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood in 1996. “That appearance brought us to this space (family music), and it has now come full circle because today we are veterans of making this music.”
Joseck and Justo Asikoye of Jabali Afrika at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, April 3, 2022.
Photo credit: Pool
The group received a Grammy nomination in the Best Children’s Music Album category in 2022 for the album All One Tribe, a project that featured a diverse group of artists celebrating African American culture with family-oriented songs. Jabali Afrika’s contribution to the album was a soothing singalong called Mtoto Mzuri.
“Our Grammy nomination is not a coincidence. We have released family music records every year since our first nomination, and the last of them was Lala Land collaborating with Pambo Afrika Chorus and (Iranian musician) Medhi Rabajian,” says Joseck.
As members of the Recording Academy, the Asikoye brothers will participate in the final round voting for the Grammy Awards from December 12, 2025 to January 5, 2026, ahead of the annual ceremony known as the “biggest night in music” on February 1, 2026.
“We work toward more diversity in the award for Best African Music Performance,” asserts Joseck, a reference to the domination by Nigerian Afrobeats artistee in that category. “Look at how Bien [of Sauti Sol] has been going about his business and tell me why he can’t be up there at the Grammys!”
