Angélique Kidjo, an African music superstar, asserts that the Grammy Awards “require diversity and gender equality” to exist.
“The music industry is dominated by men, therefore we must consider the infrastructure as a whole,” adds the celebrity trustee.
Particularly, the ceremony has been criticized for marginalizing hip-hop. Since Outkast’s Speakerboxxx won album of the year in 2004, no rap album has been named album of the year.
Kidjo told the BBC,
“We are working on it.” “We are working on it.”
Some of the most popular artists in the world, such as Drake and The Weeknd, are currently boycotting the 65-year-old organization in protest of their music being restricted to genre categories like as rap and R&B and, in some cases, not acknowledged at all.
The Weeknd stated in 2021 after his multi-platinum album After Hours was ignored,
“Forget award shows.” “I personally no longer care. I have three Grammys, which obviously mean nothing to me today.”
Under the leadership of CEO Harvey Mason, Jr., the Recording Academy is attempting to mend these connections, according to Kidjo.
Three years ago, he took over when his predecessor was sacked for claiming the voting process was “rigged.”
“He entered a really difficult time, and he is embracing this task with gusto,” adds Kidjo.
“He is receptive to dialogue and proposals. People must reach out to Harvey, and we must initiate this dialogue and assist him in doing so.”
In recent years, the Grammys have made some questionable choices despite his supervision.
In 2022, it caused eyebrows when John Batiste won album of the year over Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, and the combined skills of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. This year, Harry Styles won album of the year over Beyoncé’s famed disco masterpiece Renaissance.
Kidjo asserts,
“I believe it is essential for us to comprehend, with regards to the Recording Academy, that we are artists, we are producers, and we may listen to music differently than the general public.”
“This is why the Grammy Awards are so significant. Our peers have recognized us. Thus, if we all agree that is what it is, then that is what it is.”
She stated that she would “definitely” leap at the opportunity to collaborate with Styles on a song.
The question “Why not? He sings brilliantly, so I am receptive.”
Prestigious prize
Kidjo was speaking to the BBC shortly after being awarded Sweden’s famous Polar Music Award, also known as “the Nobel Prize of music.”
It was established in 1989 by the late Abba manager and lyricist Stig Andersson and comes with a cash award of 600,000 Swedish crowns (£47,000).
Among this year’s laureates are also Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records, and Arvo Part, a classical composer.
On May 23 at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm, all three will be honored in the presence of the Swedish Royal Family with a ceremony and banquet.
“My brain is still whirling,” Kidjo states. “Occasionally, I awaken in the middle of the night and exclaim, ‘Huh? “Is this still occurring?”
The star was born in Benin, West Africa, and her parents introduced her to a variety of singers, including African performers such as Fela Kuti and Miriam Makeba as well as rock, pop, and soul artists such as the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin.
She was a professional singer by the time she was in her twenties, but her journey to success was strewn with difficulties that later motivated her to fight for equal rights.
“When you are a young girl singing in Benin or anyplace else in Africa, you face so many challenges,” she explains.
“Because our society, conservative as it is, asserts that we are born without an identity. We are a commodity that our father can marry off to anyone.
“And for me, my father was the one who struggled against family and society so that I could sing.
“This is why I declare that my feminism is not against men, but rather against those who do not understand that women and men must coexist.”
Kidjo fled Benin for Paris in 1983, working as a backup singer before launching her solo career with 1990’s Parakou, which featured her lyrical, emotional voice.
She signed with Island Records in 1991 and has since recorded 14 more albums, including the Grammy-winning best world music album Eve (2014), a tribute to African women sung primarily in Beninese languages.
Kidjo remarked that she was glad to see African artists like Tems, Wizkid, Libianca, and Burna Boy attaining international success.
“Many things have altered as a result of modern recording technology,” she explains. “In order to pursue a career, I was forced to flee my country’s communist regime.”
Currently, staying in Africa is instantaneous. You upload something on YouTube, and the next day it becomes a worldwide phenomenon.
“Welcome to the 21st century!”
Also Read: https://superstarsculture.com/mae-muller-the-british-act-announced-for-the-song-contest/
