While many musicians are vying for recognition as the next Highlife Artiste of the Year at the Telecel Ghana Music Awards, award-winning singer Kuami Eugene says it is a category he has grown tired of winning after dominating it for five consecutive years.
The “Monica” hitmaker revealed in an interview on Joy Prime that although he appreciates the recognition, repeatedly winning the Highlife Artiste title eventually became less exciting, as he did not want to be boxed into a single genre.
According to Kuami Eugene, his goal has always been to be recognised as a versatile musician capable of producing quality music across different sounds, including Afrobeats, Afropop, drill, dancehall, and highlife.
“I was tired two years ago because I wanted somebody to win some. I don’t want to be known for just Highlife. I want to be known for producing good music,” he stated.
The musician, who earned two nominations this year, admitted he was not even fully aware of the categories he had been nominated in until he was reminded during the interview that he had secured nominations in the Best Afrobeats/Afropop Artiste and Best Highlife Artiste categories.
Reflecting on his journey, Kuami Eugene explained that while he is strongly associated with highlife due to his success in the genre, he considers himself an all-round artiste whose creativity extends beyond a single musical style.
His comments come at a time when conversations around genre classification continue to shape discussions within the Ghanaian music industry, particularly the relationship between highlife and Afrobeats.
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