Afrobeats star Kcee reveals why award snubs once made him cry and why he stopped caring

Nigerian singer KCee has opened up about the emotional toll of being consistently overlooked by award bodies early in his career, saying the experience eventually pushed him to stop seeking that kind of validation entirely.

Speaking on the Afrobeats Intelligence Podcast, the Afrobeats artist, born Kingsley Chinweike Okonkwo, recalled feeling invisible despite putting in visible work.

"I grew up in an industry that wasn't fair to me. There wasn't any attention given to me at any moment. I was doing a lot that the industry wasn't recognising," he said.

“The fans were the ones who were behind me. I did a lot of work; they were not nominating me for awards. And I cried; I was pained."

Kcee, who began his career in 1999 as one half of the duo KC Presh alongside Precious John, known as Presh, spent over a decade building his name before going solo.

The two had met in a church choir and performed together for 12 years before splitting in 2011 to pursue individual careers.

After the split, Kcee released a string of records, but it was the 2013 hit ‘Limpopo’ that marked a turning point both commercially and personally.

He described the song's reception as a moment of relief after years of feeling sidelined.

"When 'Limpopo' came, oh, I was in tears. I was like, no, God has answered my prayer. He took me to the global market straight. After all the years I've worked with Presh, that's like the biggest record I've ever done," he said.

That experience, he explained, is what shifted his mindset around industry recognition.

"Right now, when I win awards, or you don't nominate me, I don't care. I prefer the rewards to the awards."

The shift in perspective appears to be paying off. Kcee pointed to his 2024 single ‘Ojapiano’ as evidence that his music continues to connect without needing institutional co-signing. The song gained rapid traction on TikTok shortly after release.

"I dropped 'Ojapiano' like today, the next day, it was doing 120,000 videos on TikTok in one day. And it happened for seven days non-stop. That's organic. The white people were vibing to it," he said.

He has since kept his momentum going with the release of his 2025 album, Okonkwo and Sons Unlimited, put out under Five Star Music.

The project blends traditional highlife with contemporary Afrobeats, a direction that reflects both his Anambra roots and his years navigating the Lagos music scene.

Born in Lagos and raised in Ajegunle, Kcee traces his family origins to Uli in Anambra State. He turns 47 this month.

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