The Grammys—if you’re in the music business—evolved (and have been hyped) as the ultimate prize and doorway to one’s future as a musical star with everything that comes with that: fame, money, luxury, fawning appreciation, prestige.
Now, fresh off holding a successful festival, Ugandan musician, Eddy Kenzo has been nominated in the 2023 Grammy Awards under the ‘Best Global Music Performance’ category. The singer rushed to his Twitter platform on Tuesday night to announce the development.
“Isn’t God so good banange, Uganda is in the Grammys,” Kenzo tweeted on Tuesday night.
BFE Media understands that Kenzo’s ‘Gimme Love’ song featuring American singer Matt B secured him this nomination. The tune was produced by beat maker A-Steyn.
The singer has been nominated alongside 9 other stars including Burna Boy from Nigeria.
Other nominees in the mentioned category include; Arooj Aftab (Pakistani based in the US), Anoushka Shankar (British American), Matt B (American), Rocky Dawuni (Ghanaian), Black Hero (Jamaican), Wouter Kellerman (South African), Zakes Bantwini (South African) and Nomcebo Zikode (South African).
Kenzo received international recognition after the release of his 2014 single, “Sitya Loss” whose video earned him a BET Award. The award is also Uganda’s and East Africa’s only BET Award to date.
The singer it should be recalled became the first Ugandan to win a BET award in 2014.
The 2023 GRAMMYs will air live Sunday, Feb. 5 on CBS
American singer Beyoncé landed nine Grammy Award nominations, the most of anybody in contention for the 2023 ceremony. That number puts the decorated singer at a total of 88 career nominations — the same as her husband, rapper Jay-Z, who landed five nods this time around. They are tied as the most-nominated artists in Grammys history.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar followed Beyoncé with eight nominations, while singers Adele and Brandi Carlile each snagged seven. A diverse group of artists earned six apiece: singer Mary J. Blige, rapper Future, pop star Harry Styles, rapper-producer DJ Khaled, songwriter Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant and engineer Randy Merill.
A few housekeeping notes: Two of music’s biggest stars, Drake and the Weeknd, continued to opt out of the awards show, deciding not to submit their solo music for consideration. Silk Sonic, among last year’s major victors, didn’t submit for 2023 either. There are also a handful of intriguing new categories to follow, including Songwriter of the Year, Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games, and more.
