Nigerian singer Kcee has opened up about the struggles he faced with recognition in the music industry, revealing how years of being overlooked took an emotional toll on him.
Speaking during an interview on Afrobeats Intelligence, the ‘Ojapiano’ hitmaker said that despite his dedication and success, he often felt ignored when it came to awards and industry acknowledgement.
“To be honest, I grew up in an industry that was not fair to… and giving my best and the industry was not recognising,” he said.
He explained that while the industry failed to celebrate his work, his fans remained loyal and supportive throughout his journey.
“The fans were the ones behind me. I did a lot of work, and they were not nominating me for awards. And I cried. I was pained. Right now, whether I win awards or not, I do not care. I prefer the rewards to the awards. It affected everything and not just music,” he added.
Kcee described the release of his hit track Limpopo as a major turning point in his career, saying it felt like a breakthrough moment after years of effort.
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“When ‘Limpopo’ came, I was in tears that God had answered my prayers. It took me into the global market straight away. After all the years I have worked with Presh, that is the biggest record I have ever done.”
He also pointed to the viral success of Ojapiano, which quickly gained massive traction on social media platforms.
“When I dropped ‘Ojapiano’ today. The next day, it was doing 120,000 videos on TikTok in one day. It happened for seven days. And that raised a conversation in the industry like ‘Why is Kcee not sitting at number one on the Apple Store?’”
Despite the lack of consistent award recognition, the singer said his music has brought him financial success and global exposure, noting that Limpopo generated substantial income through ringback tunes.
“‘Limpopo’ gave me a lot of money from ringback tunes. We were making hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Prompt News reports Kcee began his career as part of the duo KC Presh before going solo, and has since built a lasting presence in the Nigerian music scene.
