{"id":50631,"date":"2023-03-28T13:24:37","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T13:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/03\/28\/angelique-kidjo-says-the-grammys-need-diversity\/"},"modified":"2023-03-28T13:24:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T13:24:37","slug":"angelique-kidjo-says-the-grammys-need-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/03\/28\/angelique-kidjo-says-the-grammys-need-diversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Ang\u00e9lique Kidjo says the Grammys ‘need diversity’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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African music star Ang\u00e9lique Kidjo says the Grammy Awards \u201cneed diversity [and] gender equality\u201d in order to survive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe music industry is dominated by men, so we have to think about the whole infrastructure,\u201d says the star, who is a trustee for the awards.<\/p>\n
The ceremony has been criticised for sidelining hip-hop in particular. No rap album has won album of the year since Outkast\u2019s Speakerboxxx in 2004.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are working on it,\u201d Kidjo told the BBC. \u201cWe are working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of the world\u2019s most successful artists, including Drake and The Weeknd, are currently boycotting the 65-year-old organisation, protesting that their music is relegated to genre categories like rap and R&B and, in some cases, not recognised at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cForget awards shows,\u201d said The Weeknd in 2021, after his multi-platinum album After Hours was snubbed. \u201cI personally don\u2019t care any more. I have three Grammys, which mean nothing to me now, obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kidjo says the Recording Academy is trying to repair those relationships under the watch of CEO Harvey Mason, Jr.<\/p>\n
He stepped in three years ago, after his predecessor was fired while\u00a0making claims the voting process was \u201crigged\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came in a moment [that was] very difficult and he is embracing this challenge head on,\u201d says Kidjo.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s open for discussion, he\u2019s open for proposals. People have to reach out to Harvey, and we have to start this conversation and help him get there.\u201d<\/p>\nHarry Styles victory at this year\u2019s Grammys was considered an upset by many critics, who thought Beyonc\u00e9 would finally win album of the year, after three losses (Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Despite his guidance, the Grammys have made some questionable decisions in the last few years.<\/p>\n
Eyebrows were raised when John Batiste beat Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and the combined talents of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga to win album of the year in 2022; while this year\u2019s ceremony saw Harry Styles pick up the same award over Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s celebrated disco opus Renaissance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think what is important for us to understand when it comes to Recording Academy is that we are musicians, we are producers and we have a different way, perhaps, of listening to music than the public,\u201d says Kidjo.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what makes the Grammy Awards so important. We are honoured by our peers. So if all of us come together and decide that\u2019s what it is, then that\u2019s what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that she would \u201cabsolutely\u201d jump at the chance to make a record with Styles.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not? I mean, hey, he sings beautifully, so I\u2019m open.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prestigious prize<\/h2>\n
Kidjo was speaking to the BBC as she was named a recipient of Sweden\u2019s prestigious Polar Prize, sometimes dubbed \u201cthe Nobel Prize of music\u201d.<\/p>\n
Founded in 1989 by late Abba manager and lyricist Stig Andersson, it recognises exceptional musical achievements and comes with a cash prize of 600,000 kronor (\u00a347,000).<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s laureates also include Island Records founder Chris Blackwell and classical composer Arvo P\u00e4rt.<\/p>\n
All three will be honoured in the presence of the Swedish Royal Family at a ceremony and banquet on 23 May at Stockholm\u2019s Grand Hotel.<\/p>\nKidjo said she was \u201chumbled\u201d by the Swedish music honour (Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cMy head is still spinning,\u201d says Kidjo. \u201cSometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and say, \u2018Huh? Is this still happening?’\u201d<\/p>\n
The star was born in Benin, West Africa, and was introduced to a wide range of artists by her parents \u2013 from African artists like Fela Kuti and Miriam Makeba to the rock, pop, and soul of the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin.<\/p>\n
A professional singer by her 20s, she faced many obstacles on her path to fame, which later inspired her battle for equal rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re a young girl singing in Benin, and anywhere in Africa, man, you are against so many odds,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the society, conservative as it is, says we don\u2019t have an identity when we are born. We are a product that our father [can] take and can marry to anybody.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd for me, my father was absolutely the person that fought family [and] society for me to be able to sing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why I say my feminism is not against men, it\u2019s against people that don\u2019t understand that women have to exist side by side with men.\u201d<\/p>\nThe singer made her debut at the BBC Proms in 2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Kidjo fled Benin for Paris in 1983, working as a backing singer before striking out as a solo artist with 1990\u2019s Parakou \u2013 a vibrant and innovative fusion of African and Western influences, that showcased her soulful, emotive voice.<\/p>\n
She signed to Island Records in 1991, and has since released 14 further albums, including Eve (2014), a tribute to African women largely sung in Beninese languages, which won the Grammy for best world music album.<\/p>\n
With African musicians like Tems, Wizkid, Libianca and Burna Boy now achieving global success, Kidjo said she was pleased to see the continent\u2019s music scene opening up.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of things have changed because of the technology of recording today,\u201d she says. \u201cI had to flee the communist dictatorship of my country to build a career. Today, you can stay in Africa and it\u2019s instantaneous. You put something on YouTube, the next day it\u2019s a huge hit everywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cWelcome to the new world!\u201d<\/p>\n
DISCLAIMER: <\/strong>The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
African music star Ang\u00e9lique Kidjo says the Grammy Awards \u201cneed diversity [and] gender equality\u201d in order to survive. \u201cThe music industry is dominated by men, so we have to think about the whole infrastructure,\u201d says the star, who is a trustee for the awards. The ceremony has been criticised for sidelining hip-hop in particular. No […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"Harry](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/_129172594_gettyimages-1246836377.jpg\" "\\"Ang\u00e9lique")
![\"Angelique](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/_129172597_gettyimages-684974242.jpg\" "\\"Ang\u00e9lique")
![\"Angelique](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/_129172599_b29c91088d6696972996fff43eb7207abaab69cb.jpg\" "\\"Ang\u00e9lique")