According to Nigerian musician CKay, he wanted to build on the global popularity of his hit song “Love Nwantiti,” but when he approached some of his friends about working together, they declined.
In an interview with the Afrobeats Podcast, the singer stated he was baffled as to why “Love Nwantiti” has never taken home any honors in Nigeria, even after receiving over a billion plays and several accolades outside.
He said, “I have my reservations about awards in general. Because I feel there’s so much involved. And the people who run the awards, I don’t know them or their motives. I have seen so many situations where music that deserves doesn’t get any recognition. Not just the Grammys, even [Nigerian awards] back home.
“It’s interesting that ‘Love Nwantiti’ that’s 6x platinum, has no award in Nigeria. I don’t know if I would use the word shameful. It’s interesting because it begs so many questions. That’s why I have my reservations about awards.”
He added: “I would like to believe that there’s a lot of love in the [Nigerian music] industry, but unfortunately, I don’t think I am correct. I feel I’m very open. I mean, I’m not open like that.
“To be fair, I am a reserved person. But in terms of collaborations, I have had so many situations where I tried to collaborate with some people in the industry but they were acting funny even After ‘Love Nwantiti.’”