The Nigerian sonic artist, Olawale Ashimi, also known as Brymo, has opened up about his feelings on losing the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA).
Brymo was nominated for best songwriter of the year and best album of the year at the 8 edition of the music award tagged ‘Teranga Edition’.
The artist however attributed his loss to the trouble that pervaded during the time of the nomination and the petitions fined against him.
What was Brymo’s offence?
In the build-up to the 2023 general election, many people lambasted the singer for making comments against the Igbo tribe of Nigeria, saying that they did not deserve to have a claim to the presidency.
The comments received criticism from fellow celebrities and fans, but Brymo maintained his stance, showing he’s not sorry by retweeting the same set of tweets that got him under fire in the first place.
Then, Charles Ogundele launched a petition against the alternative singer, calling for his nomination to be revoked.
In an interview with The Cable, the singer was quizzed about how he felt about losing the awards relating it to trouble that permeated the time of the nomination and the petitions that were fined against him.
The interviewer asked, “What did you make of it; seeing over 40,000 people suddenly signing this petition to strip you of your nominations for the 8th AFRIMA over a social media talk? Did the award contact you about it?”
Brymo responded that he actually looked forward to winning, noting that his loss was not associated with the petition or the troubles that came before it but was the result of a number of factors.
“I think, months before, I’d announced that I was no longer a musician and that I was instead a sonic artist. It meant I was no longer eligible for awards that musicians get. However, AFRIMA nominated my work ‘Esan’, so I forgot all that and looked forward to the event. But in truth, I’m no longer a singer so I didn’t want it. He said
Writing by Onwurah Juliet; Editing by Julian Osamoto