Music Week writers Adenike Adenitire and Colleen Harris share their recollections of interviewing Kanya King…
ADENIKE ADENITIRE: Having started my career as a journalist when the MOBO Awards was still in its infancy and attended it many times since, I’ve had a front-row seat to its tremendous growth.
I have so many great memories of the awards – from seeing a plethora of my favourite acts receive the spotlight they simply weren’t getting anywhere else, to watching show-stopping performances that are ingrained in music history, to getting all dressed up and celebrating alongside people who genuinely cared about the culture.
So many artists received recognition that helped change the trajectory of their careers. For many US acts, their first UK – and often European – television appearance came on the MOBO stage, providing a crucial springboard as they expanded their careers. The UK hadn’t seen anything like it before, which is why those early years felt so special.
I had many pleasant social exchanges with Kanya over the years, including interviews I conducted for various outlets. I was privileged to conduct one of her final interviews, a MOBO 30th Anniversary special for a Music Week digital cover earlier this year. She had a lot to say, and I know it was important to her that she said it. She spoke about the humble beginnings of MOBO, the future of the organisation and the legacy she hoped to leave behind.
On the latter, she told me, “When we launched in 1996, many of the talents and genres we celebrate weren’t receiving the recognition they deserved in the mainstream, and if the next generation of artists, entrepreneurs and creatives feel more confident stepping into their potential because doors have been opened for them, then that will be the most meaningful legacy of all.”
When people talk about the vibrant Black British music scene and the many success stories it has birthed, Kanya’s name should always be a major part of that conversation. The fact that she sustained her vision at the highest level for three decades is remarkable.
Anyone who understands the realities of the industry – and the gatekeeping and resistance that go on, especially when it comes to ethnic communities – knows that this would not have been easy. It only underlines her admirable strength and resilience.
COLLEEN HARRIS: Interviewing Kanya King for the cover of Music Week when she received the Strat in 2021 marked a significant moment of reflection. By then, I had known her work from two perspectives: first, as a young singer who had won Best Unsigned Act as part of a group called Amoyé at the 1999 MOBO Awards, and later, as a journalist observing the industry she helped shape.
It meant a lot that it fell to me to reflect on her career, given the impact she had on the careers of so many, including my own.
We spoke about attempts to “get rid of MOBO” and the will it took to keep going, including remortgaging her home.
“There were no guarantees of success, but I just had to give it everything,” she told me. “A lot of people were polite, if you know what I mean, but I’ve struggled to get the support.”
During our conversation, Kanya reflected on her “very elegant” Ghanaian father, who died when she was 13. This stood in stark contrast to the negative images of Africans she recalled seeing on television growing up. She spoke about how that shaped her belief that people deserved to see themselves reflected and celebrated on screen.
What stayed with me was how grounded Kanya remained. Even as her influence grew, I was always struck by her unassuming manner. Beneath it all, there was a quiet confidence and a determination that never seemed to waver.
Kanya’s legacy runs through the fabric of Black British music, in the artists, platforms and spaces that exist because of what she built. The MOBO brand, from the Awards to MOBOLISE and House Of MOBO, lives on not only in recognition of Kanya’s contribution, but in the infrastructure it created – foundations that allow others to be seen and supported.
