KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan music star Eddy Kenzo has secured his second career nomination for the Grammy Awards, earning a spot in the Best African Music Performance category for his song “Hope and Love,” a collaboration with Swedish artist Mehran Matin.
The prestigious nomination places the East African artist in direct contention with some of the biggest names in Afrobeats, including Nigerian heavyweights Burna Boy, Davido, and Wizkid.
Kenzo’s previous nomination was for his 2023 collaboration with Matt B on the track “Gimme Love.”
Artistic quality over commercial success
Speaking about the achievement, Kenzo expressed profound gratitude to both God and his devoted supporters. He attributed the Grammy nod not to commercial popularity, but to the inherent quality and originality of the music itself.
Kenzo highlighted the strict standards employed by the Recording Academy:
“It’s about the uniqueness of the song because they have criteria they follow, they look at the quality in what you do in terms of melody, the instrumentation and originality of the song,” Kenzo said.
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The emphasis on artistic merit is underscored by the song’s relatively modest reach compared to its rivals; “Hope and Love,” which blends Afrobeats rhythms with African pop elements, was released just three months ago and currently holds approximately 12,000 views on YouTube. Kenzo stressed that popularity was not a factor in the nomination decision.
This aligns with the Grammy Academy’s stated criteria, which prioritize artistic quality, originality, and technical excellence above commercial success or chart performance when evaluating submissions.
Should Kenzo win, he would achieve the remarkable feat of becoming the first Ugandan artist to claim a Grammy Award.
