CKay Bemoans Nigeria’s Music Award Industry

Afrobeat musician CKay has expressed regret recently over not receiving any Nigerian music awards for “Love Nwantiti,” his most popular song.

One of the biggest songs of 2019 was Ckay’s Love Nwantiti, which marked a turning point in the development of Afrobeat. On Spotify, the digital music platform, the romantic tune has received over 800 million plays. The popular song, which debuted in 2019, became popular on TikTok, though many users were unaware of the original singer of the song.

According to the Bytedance platform, Love Nwantiti reached a historic milestone on November 9, 2021, reaching 15 billion streams on TikTok and securing its position as the largest global hit of 2021. In an interview with Shopsydoo on the Afrobeats Podcast, CKay voiced his disapproval of modern award shows.

The charismatic vocalist continued by saying that it raises many problems why a son with nearly a billion streams but no award is not recognized.  He continued by asking about the metrics being applied.

"It's interesting that Love Nwantiti has no award in Nigeria"

– CKay pic.twitter.com/ZQ45XHgfrr

— 🐬 @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) February 27, 2024

He went on to say that his constant travel for tours and performances had a negative impact on his health. He needed time to relax and get over the stress. When asked about his opinions about the Nigerian music industry, Ckay explained that the apparent “love” that the general public seems to see within the industry may perhaps be a facade.

Watch the full interview below: