Afrobeats Star Joeboy says stakeholders in the African music industry should do more to promote music awards on the continent instead of looking up solely to the Grammys as the “biggest music award.”
Speaking in an interview on 3 Music TV, the Baby hitmaker said it was important to build robust African institutions and organise award ceremonies equivalent to the Grammys.
“Grammy is a great award but at the end of the day, it’s still an American award…It is just seen as a global award because of its positioning…At the end of the day, it still boils down to what is happening in America.
“We must be unapologetic about being ourselves and empower institutions here in Africa. Before you can win the Grammy, you’d have to work with sound engineers or producers from the United States…so it’s still basically an American award,” he stated.
He noted that instead of giving the Grammys prominence and making it seem like the highest award an African artiste can ever get, “we can build our own institution and have our own African awards.”
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“If they [United States] did not make sure the Grammy was great, it would not be as global as it is now,” he noted.
Joeboy therefore, encouraged African artistes who continue to gain international recognition to remember their roots, return to their home countries, and support their own institutions.
Known officially as Joseph Akinwale Akinfenwa-Donus, Joeboy has several singles and albums to his credit and has promised his followers “back-to-back bangers” this year.
Sometime in February this year, the singer, who was previously under emPawa Africa, said he was taking up a new venture with ‘Young Legend’ records.
He described his first recording deal under emPawa Africa as “the best ever” in his home country but said he was “naive” and not up to speed with many of the developments in the industry at the time.