[ti:Humble Start for Kenzo, First Ugandan Nominated for Grammy]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:00.04]Eddy Kenzo does not know exactly when he was born.
[00:06.40]He lost his mother at the age of 4.
[00:10.36]He did not know his father.
[00:13.88]He spent most of his childhood living on the streets,
[00:18.88]not knowing how to read or write.
[00:23.28]He often worried about when,
[00:26.24]or if, his next meal would come.
[00:30.76]From that humble beginning,
[00:33.28]Kenzo has become the first Uganda-based singer
[00:38.36]to earn Grammy consideration.
[00:42.36]His recording, Gimme Love, was nominated this month
[00:47.36]for a Grammy award for best international music performance.
[00:53.68]Kenzo shares the nomination
[00:56.20]with co-performer American Matt B.
[01:01.12]Some Ugandans dismiss Kenzo's music,
[01:05.00]saying he is not much of a singer.
[01:09.08]Others see his musical experimentation
[01:13.12]as a sign of a gifted artist.
[01:17.16]But, for Kenzo, any recognition of his work
[01:21.68]is a reminder of how far he has come.
[01:25.92]"Honestly speaking, I am so overwhelmed.
[01:30.00]I am so nervous at the same time,"
[01:33.28]Kenzo told The Associated Press.
[01:36.64]"I thank God that we made it."
[01:40.24]In 2015, Kenzo, whose real name is Edirisa Musuuza,
[01:47.20]won a BET award as the viewers' choice
[01:51.40]for best new international artist.
[01:55.64]He was the first and only Ugandan so honored to date.
[02:02.44]The award followed the release of his song Sitya Loss,
[02:07.48]which became very popular.
[02:10.92]The linked music video features children dancing
[02:15.72]in a poor, rural town in central Uganda.
[02:20.76]The energetic performance captured international attention.
[02:26.84]Growing up, Kenzo had wanted to become a soccer player.
[02:32.48]His skill won him financial support to attend a school.
[02:39.08]But he later dropped out and returned
[02:42.44]to the hustling that he says made him a man.
[02:47.36]"I am a hustler," he told AP.
[02:51.20]"This is a very huge step for me, my family and the ghetto people,
[02:57.68]the hustlers, the people who come from nothing.
[03:01.60]It gives us a lot of hope that anything is possible."
[03:08.04]Kenzo recorded his first single in 2008.
[03:13.64]He became famous in 2010 with the song Stamina
[03:19.00]which was praised for its youthful energy.
[03:23.56]And he has since been invited to perform across the world.
[03:29.64]Three days before he found out
[03:32.44]that he had been nominated for a Grammy,
[03:35.28]Kenzo held a festival in Kampala
[03:39.00]that was attended by thousands,
[03:42.28]including Uganda's prime minister.
[03:46.28]It was a proud moment for a singer
[03:49.76]whose music is often ignored by local radio stations.
[03:55.68]Andrew Kaggwa is an arts reporter
[03:59.24]with the local Daily Monitor newspaper.
[04:03.68]He described Kenzo as a mysterious person
[04:08.00]who "has disrupted the industry
[04:11.40]in ways no one can explain."
[04:15.32]Kaggwa said Kenzo is the Ugandan singer "who refused to fail."
[04:22.96]Those who control music on Uganda radio stations
[04:27.12]may dislike the singer's work, the reporter said.
[04:31.60]But, he added, Kenzo has a loyal following.
[04:37.00]"For some reason, things happen" for Kenzo, Kaggwa said.
[04:41.92]"He just lets the awards, the accolades, speak for him."
[04:47.44]The Recording Academy will announce all the award winners
[04:51.84]at the 2023 Grammy Awards ceremony on February 5.
[04:59.48]I'm Caty Weaver.