Kanya King
The MOBO Awards will take place next Wednesday, and is packed with stars.
Kanya King (founder and CEO of the Awards) took the time to have an in-depth chat with us about the event.
Read the interview below to see her thoughts on Jessie J, Adele, urban music and how far the MOBO Awards have come over the last 16 years.
-How are preparations going for the show?
Oh my gosh, wow. It's crazy really. We've got so many people travelling to Glasgow, it's unbelievable. There seem to be hundreds and hundreds more people than there were in '09.
It feels like the city's getting ready for us. I've seen fantastic banners, things like that.
You might not have noticed this, but our Best Newcomer category is voted for via Facebook. We've got all of the ten nominees taking over Twitter. People are asking them if it's their first time going to Glasgow, who they'll be performing with. It's fantastic.
-Do you still get just as excited about it, after all these years?
Absolutely. We're always trying to do something different, and we take risks. You also want to exceed expectations. It's one of those things where yes, I'm still very much excited about it, but I never really let my hair down at the after show party!
-What prompted idea to move back to Glasgow this year?
You know what, I remember when we were there in '09 we had such a fantastic experience. It just felt really natural for us to want to return and build on the great relationship we have with the city.
I remember when I was on stage in '09, I just said "we'll be back!" I didn't know when at the time, but it's just unbelievable, a few years later.
There just seemed to be so much warmth to the artists on the show, and also the vibrancy about it. We just knew it wouldn't be long before the MOBO juggernaut would be hurtling back.
-Looking at the nominees this year, Adele is nominated for four awards. What do you think makes her so special?
I would say probably the whole package really. The music that she's written. I suppose there's no denying her beautiful voice. The fact that she writes her own songs, song-writers are so hard to find.
You just think about every lyric that comes out of her mouth - you're just really moved by it. She seems to have that winning formula.
We know that every note she makes, every word she sings, there seems to be some raw emotion to find it. Also, the fact that she's really likable.
I think, for a lot of her fans, there's a lot of things that are quite natural about her. She's not trying to be what people expect from a pop star.
-Similarly, Jessie J is also nominated for four awards. How do you think her year has gone?
It's just a remarkable year when you think about it. Jessie's so appealing. She's got that spunky, likability to her.
There's the infectious songs that she does, that of course we all know she had a hand in writing.
I look at the success of British acts, like Adele and Jessie, but they're successes internationally. It's been a phenomenal year.
I think it has been a brilliant year for music generally. This is what we're so proud about. It's a fantastic showcase to the rest of the world.
You look at Ed Sheeran, I think he was the first UK unsigned act to have a Number One with his mixtape earlier in the year. You then look at Tulisa on The X Factor panel.
You remember her so vividly when N-Dubz picked up Best Newcomer many, many years ago. They have said it themselves - at the time their manager died, they split from the label, they just wanted to give up.
You feel proud, in a way, of the British artists and how successful they are, the waves they're making around the world.
-With Jessie J and Adele leading the nominations, the MOBO Awards have been criticised for losing touch with their roots. How would you respond to that?
Yeah, you do think about that yourself, because every year it seems to come up. People seem almost surprised if someone who's not black is nominated.
Every year, it's almost like there's a need to find something that's controversial. Jessie J's vocal is steeped in R'n'B and soul influences. We know the production of songs like 'Dude It Like A Dude' are urban-based tracks.
Of course we know that there's a more commercial end of the spectrum. Urban music is enjoying a successful period right now, where the chart is being dominated by these acts.
-Going back to when you started the Awards, what was your aim when you were trying to establish them?
I had this passion and desire because there was nowhere for the artists I love to showcase their talents. I just think there was a gap in the marketplace, an audience that wasn't being catered for.
I was organising live music events from a young age. I suppose at the time, there was no major international platform where genres such as R'n'B, hip-hop, reggae, they weren't being recognised on mainstream television.
Obviously a lot of a great music was coming from that, so there was a huge void to fill.
-Has your approach changed at all over the last 16 years?
I remember when we first started, people wanted to pigeon-hole us. At the beginning, we had six weeks to put on our first show, and people used to say to us that it should be in a club, like a community radio station. Absolutely not!
Whatever money we had, and it wasn't a lot, we used to put it into production. We wanted an event that people could be proud of and believe in, and was up there with the top international events that we watched on a regular basis.
The approach was to stamp on stereotypes about this music, and showcase it in a very positive light.
I remember that first year, Lionel Richie picked up a Lifetime Achievement Award, and there was a lot of support there. A thousand people tried to fit in.
Having no connections in music industry, just wanting to showcase the best talent that was out there.
Has it changed? We want to keep try doing things, like going outside London. When we went up to Glasgow, it wasn't what people expected.
In fact, when I was telling people I was quite surprised actually at how strong the reaction was for us not to do it! Afterwards, people said it was the right thing to have done.
-Do you still have a big involvement in the planning of the awards, in terms of nominations?
[Laughing]Oh my God. Too much! I definitely have a big involvement, there's no doubt about it. Obviously, it's my baby and I want it to be the best it can be. The whole team works together to organise every aspect of it.
-Do you get much of a time to relax on the night, or are you still running around trying to sort everything out?
No. I'm not a person who can really sit down. I'd like to be! I'd like to sit down and watch it, and enjoy it, but I find it difficult to do that.
I suppose it's like organising your own party, where you want everyone else to be happy. If everybody goes away happy, you feel good.
-On the night itself, there's a good range of acts, going from Jessie J and Katy B to Wretch 32 and Dappy. Is there anyone you're particularly excited for?
There's starting to be a lot of talk about who's doing what. Everyone's going out of their way. Everybody wants to go all-out.
Is there any one particular act? You know, you never know what to expect, to be honest with you. I just want there to be a variety of different acts. We've got so many different presenters flying in.
Even in '09, you had lots of artists there who aren't necessarily performing. I remember Tinie saying he was there watching all the performers and it made him want to go up on stage and perform himself.
In a way, I'm hoping that happens with another artist - there's someone out there in the audience that's inspired by what these artists are doing, to want to improve their craft.
-You mentioned earlier that the Awards have been a good platform for urban artists. What do you think about the state of the current urban scene in the UK?
It's just phenomenal, in terms of the UK acts that are breaking through to the US. A lot of talent that are collaborating with the American talent - Chris Brown and Chipmunk. Years ago, we didn't used to see that so much with our British artists. I just think it's an amazing year, really. It just feels like we're breaking new ground.
-What do you think the MOBO Awards represent now in 2011, in the current musical landscape?
What I hope undoubtedly is that it inspires individuals to follow their own, not only musical dreams, but entrepreneurial dreams as well. I want the event to have a broader purpose, and to give hope to young people who maybe aspire to a better life and circumstance.
The MOBO Awards will take place next Wednesday, and is packed with stars.
Kanya King (founder and CEO of the Awards) took the time to have an in-depth chat with us about the event.
Read the interview below to see her thoughts on Jessie J, Adele, urban music and how far the MOBO Awards have come over the last 16 years.
-How are preparations going for the show?
Oh my gosh, wow. It's crazy really. We've got so many people travelling to Glasgow, it's unbelievable. There seem to be hundreds and hundreds more people than there were in '09.
It feels like the city's getting ready for us. I've seen fantastic banners, things like that.
You might not have noticed this, but our Best Newcomer category is voted for via Facebook. We've got all of the ten nominees taking over Twitter. People are asking them if it's their first time going to Glasgow, who they'll be performing with. It's fantastic.
-Do you still get just as excited about it, after all these years?
Absolutely. We're always trying to do something different, and we take risks. You also want to exceed expectations. It's one of those things where yes, I'm still very much excited about it, but I never really let my hair down at the after show party!
-What prompted idea to move back to Glasgow this year?
You know what, I remember when we were there in '09 we had such a fantastic experience. It just felt really natural for us to want to return and build on the great relationship we have with the city.
I remember when I was on stage in '09, I just said "we'll be back!" I didn't know when at the time, but it's just unbelievable, a few years later.
There just seemed to be so much warmth to the artists on the show, and also the vibrancy about it. We just knew it wouldn't be long before the MOBO juggernaut would be hurtling back.
-Looking at the nominees this year, Adele is nominated for four awards. What do you think makes her so special?
I would say probably the whole package really. The music that she's written. I suppose there's no denying her beautiful voice. The fact that she writes her own songs, song-writers are so hard to find.
You just think about every lyric that comes out of her mouth - you're just really moved by it. She seems to have that winning formula.
We know that every note she makes, every word she sings, there seems to be some raw emotion to find it. Also, the fact that she's really likable.
I think, for a lot of her fans, there's a lot of things that are quite natural about her. She's not trying to be what people expect from a pop star.
-Similarly, Jessie J is also nominated for four awards. How do you think her year has gone?
It's just a remarkable year when you think about it. Jessie's so appealing. She's got that spunky, likability to her.
There's the infectious songs that she does, that of course we all know she had a hand in writing.
I look at the success of British acts, like Adele and Jessie, but they're successes internationally. It's been a phenomenal year.
I think it has been a brilliant year for music generally. This is what we're so proud about. It's a fantastic showcase to the rest of the world.
You look at Ed Sheeran, I think he was the first UK unsigned act to have a Number One with his mixtape earlier in the year. You then look at Tulisa on The X Factor panel.
You remember her so vividly when N-Dubz picked up Best Newcomer many, many years ago. They have said it themselves - at the time their manager died, they split from the label, they just wanted to give up.
You feel proud, in a way, of the British artists and how successful they are, the waves they're making around the world.
-With Jessie J and Adele leading the nominations, the MOBO Awards have been criticised for losing touch with their roots. How would you respond to that?
Yeah, you do think about that yourself, because every year it seems to come up. People seem almost surprised if someone who's not black is nominated.