Why Amaarae is Dissatisfied With Grammy Awards Recording Academy

[Amaarae/NPR]
Written by Pharis Kinyua

American-based Ghanaian artist Amaarae, has expressed her disappointment with the Recording Academy, popularly known as the Grammy Awards over genre categorization which denies many African artists this coveted award.
She says that the approach by the Recording Academy of categorizing all African music genres into a single category is historically wrong.

During an interview with Metro TV, Amaarae voiced her concerns about the approach taken by the Recording Academy. She described it as limiting and it fails to acknowledge the rich diversity and influential contributions of African artists to the global music scene.

While acknowledging the positive intention behind creating an African category, Amaarae believes that certain songs should be considered in broader categories such as pop, hip-hop, or R&B.

She highlighted examples like Rema's 'Calm Down,' featuring Selena Gomez, and Burna Boy's 'Last Last,' which had significant global impacts beyond Africa.
According to Amaarae, songs like these deserve the opportunity to compete in categories that align with their musical styles and should not be confined to a single African category.

She argues that relegating such songs undermines the groundbreaking achievements of African artists.
Amaarae explained her viewpoint by saying, “So, I feel like a record like [Rema’s] ‘Calm Down’ with the remix with Selena Gomez, that should be able to compete in pop categories [at the Grammys].”

“I feel like [Burna Boy’s] ‘Last Last’ should be able to compete in hip-hop, RnB or pop categories and not be relegated to just the African category because that’s reductive of the works that [African] artists have done to break boundaries,” she adds.
Recently, the Recording Academy announced three new additions to the 2024 Grammys, including the category of 'Best African Music Performance.'

This category encompasses various African music genres such as Afrobeats, Afro-pop, Amapiano, High Life, Fuji, Kwassa, Ndombolo, Mapouka, Ghanaian Drill, Afro-House, South African Hip-Hop, and Ethio Jazz.
The second category introduced is Best Alternative Jazz Album while the third is Best Pop Dance Recording.