Grammy Awards: I’m not heartbroken –Femi Kuti

FEW days after the 56th Grammy Awards ceremony held in Staples Center, Los Angeles,
USA, Femi Kuti, who was nominated in the Best World Music Album category, has
revealed why he is not sad over his loss.

Femi, son of the late Afrobeat maestro, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, in a recent interview with a
leading weekly magazine, gave reasons for his loss and why his sister represented him at
the glamorous event.

According to Femi, “It is understandable because if you listen to the album, No Place For
My Dream, you will realise it is worth the award. The album deserved to win, but I know
what it takes to win. Grammy is very political; the voting process is complex. There was
an argument during the last award, where it was said that some people were robbed.
The person who won the Best World Music Album had to apologise later that he was not
supposed to win. A lot of voting are involved and if you play the political game very well,
you will win. From Lagos here, I don’t have the means to play that political game. I have
no intention to play along. My record company doesn’t have the financial muscle to play
the game, to put your album in every radio station in America and to make sure
everybody who wants to vote listens to that album. However, I won’t allow that to make
me lose focus on why I started music. I have to move on. I am not heartbroken. It is not
a love affair like my wife left me. On my Twitter, many people were upset that I didn’t
win. The Gipsy King were nominated six times before they won; the band from South
Africa had been nominated about five times before they won. They have been winning in
the Traditional Music category before it was abolished and they were moved to the
World Music category. None of them turned up for the award. They too were bitter that
anytime they turned up, they never won. It was their management that was at the
awards. My music is political, I attack the government and it’s very difficult to get it
across everywhere. I know what it takes to maintain the band. My problem now is how
to do another album better than No Place For My Dream. It is a great album that is
difficult to beat, and if I get nominated for the fifth time, I will open a bottle of
champagne and celebrate.”