Afrobeat singer Kuami Eugene has expressed the view that winning the newly introduced Best African Music Performance category at the Grammy Awards would be challenging for Ghanaian acts unless the music industry invests more in its musicians.
Speaking on Entertainment Guide on DGN, hosted by Prudence, Kuami Eugene emphasized that the Grammy Academy introduced these categories not to appease Ghanaians but to expand its award categories. He stressed the need for the music industry to put in extra effort to compete for and secure these awards.
Kuami Eugene’s comments come in response to the excitement among some Ghanaian music enthusiasts following the introduction of new Grammy categories that recognize genres such as Ghanaian Drill, Highlife, Afrobeat, and more. He clarified that the Grammy Academy’s decision is not based on personal interests favoring Ghanaians but is a move to diversify and recognize a broader spectrum of musical genres.
“The new category is making the job more difficult because highlife is not all about Ghana. Other African countries are doing highlife now. So currently it is not about who can do highlife but who can push highlife to the top and we don’t have the funds here in the country to champion the song,” he said.
Kuami Eugene emphasized that the Ghanaian entertainment industry is still struggling to secure funding support from investors to promote music and artistic endeavors on the global stage.
Despite the challenges, he continues to contribute to the industry and has recently released his single “Monica” from his ‘Love and Chaos’ album, which has garnered significant attention on various digital music platforms.