Interview: Kanya King

27 September 2011

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Check out our in-depth interview with the founder and CEO of the MOBO Awards.

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.

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