The whole nation of Uganda is looking forward to the Grammy Awards with Alias Eddy Kenzo’s ‘Gimme Love’.
Social media and traditional media in Uganda are celebrating the news of Kenzo being nominated for the Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy Awards, better known as the Grammy Awards, announced the nomination of Kenzo’s ‘Gimme Love’ on November 16.
Kenzo’s fans and followers are saying that he deserves to be a part of the nomination and they were expecting this, whereas a group of people from the nation are still in shock.
A Grammy nomination seemed inevitable for an artist who had just become the first musician from Uganda to win a Black Entertainment Television (BET) Award in 2005, says many people from Uganda.
Kenzo received the nomination for his song Gimme Love, which he co-wrote with Matt B, an American singer, and songwriter.
Matt B is unquestionably a talented musician, even though few Ugandans are familiar with him. His album 2021 Eden debuted on the Top 40 Billboard R&B charts.
Angella V. Benson, a Grammy-nominated music producer, manager of artists, and professional member of the Grammys is also married to Matt B.
Kenzo might have been nominated alongside an artist that is experienced with being at this stage given his track record.
Gimme Love was nominated in the category of the Best Global Music Performance award along with other nominations such as Bayethe by Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini and Nomcebo Zikode, Burna Boy’s Last Last, Udhero Na by Arooj Aftab and Anoushka Shankar, and Neva Bow Down by Rocky Dawuni.
The voters and the academy make their elections solely on the artistic and technical aspects of a nominated song or a performer. This may be a redeeming quality for Kenzo and the other nominees, according to music critic and arts writer Mr. Joseph Batte, because it would then come down to a song’s technical quality rather than its popularity among listeners.
However, others claim that given the category in which ‘Gimme Love’ is nominated, Last Last may still hold a competitive advantage because of its unmatched global popularity.
In terms of running and charts, Last Last was ranked on the US Afrobeats Billboard charts, while Gimme Love was ranked 36th. Nothing should frighten Kenzo and the other nominees if this doesn’t.
According to Vox magazine writer Kelsey McKinney, winning a Grammy also depends on how well an album or song does on the American market. The song with the greatest promotion in this particular category in the US market is still Last Last.
Burna Boy performed Last Last at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards in the US two days after its release.
The song Last Last has been such a smash, in addition to the Nigerian titan having such a successful year. Many people, notably music journalist Jenkins Mukasa, have already claimed that Burna Boy’s position in the box makes this battle unfairly imbalanced.
If we compare Last Last and Gimme Love, Kenzo’s song has 866,000 views on YouTube, whereas, Last Last has 135 million views. But even without numbers, one would still wonder what exactly would be required for a nominee to win a certain category.
Also Read:- Curious Case Of The Missing Kenyan Woman In The US
As this award is entirely peer-voted, with a technically chosen voter membership, people’s preferences are first and foremost out of the question.
The voters only choose and cast votes in the fields and categories in which they regularly conduct business, according to the Recording Academy.
However, a song’s technical skill is ultimately what gives an artist their best chance of winning a Grammy. The production of music frequently affects technological issues.
The remix of ‘Gimme Love’, which included Kenzo instead of Matt B was produced by Ugandan producer Steyn, who was also nominated. Even though his contribution is outstanding, Last Last still has a good amount of production-related experience to his name.
The song Last Last was produced by Mikael and Samuel Haataja, also known as Off and Out, Chopstix, Mds, and Ruben. It samples the song He Wasn’t Man Enough by American singer Toni Braxton. It was released on May 13 by the global record company Atlantic Records.
Kenzo’s Gimme Love was recorded in October 2021 and was released on 4 March 2022. The was released internationally in March and has gained the attention of a wide audience. The song came in the tenth position in Uganda’s official singles chart, Viba Hot 100.
The 65th Grammy Award is scheduled to be held on 6 February 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Uganda is looking forward to seeing Eddy Kenzo returning with the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance, for his hit song Gimme Love.
The song received immense reviews and support internationally, but, we have more such songs in the nomination. So it is unpredictable about the winner. Let us hope Kenzo will be awarded in this category as the whole of Uganda expects. Let’s wait and see!
Read More:- US Couple Face Death Penalty For Torture Of Foster Child In Uganda
