Eddy Kenzo Biography
Edrisah Kenzo Musuuza, better known by his stage name Eddy Kenzo, is a Grammy-nominated musician from Uganda, a member of Big Talent Entertainment, a founder of the Uganda National Musicians Federation, and a music executive. The release of his 2014 track “Sitya Loss” and the viral video that accompanied it, which included the Ghetto Kids, brought him recognition on a global scale. He has put out four albums in all, the most latest being Made in Africa in 2021 and Roots in 2018. In addition, Kenzo has received various accolades both domestically and abroad, such as multiple All Africa Music Awards, a BET Award in 2015, and a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award in 2018.
Kenzo was a 2022 Grammy Award nominee for Best Global Performance for the song Gimme Love, which features Matt B and Kenzo. The song peaked at number 36 on the U.S. Afrobeats Billboard chart in November 2022. At the Eddy Kenzo Festival at Kololo Airstrip in Uganda, Matt B and Kenzo played Gimme Love for an audience of approximately 20,000 people, which included Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja of Uganda. Kenzo was the first Ugandan musician to be nominated for a Grammy Award and the first to win the BET Award in 2015.
WIKI FACTS & ABOUT DATA | |
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Full Name: | Edrisah Kenzo Musuuza |
Stage Name: | Eddy Kenzo |
Born: | 25 December 1989 (age 34 years old) |
Place of Birth: | Masaka, Ugandan |
Nationality: | Ugandan |
Education: | Lubiri Secondary School |
Height: | 173 cm |
Parents: | Hassan Kiwalabye, Angela Nyantale |
Siblings: | N/A |
Spouse: | Not Married |
Girlfriend • Partner: | Bella Myra Bakhresa (curr.), Tracy Nabatanzi (ex.), Rema Namakula (ex.) |
Children: | Maya Musuuza, Amaal Musuuza |
Occupation: | Singer • Music Executive |
Net Worth: | $1.5 million |
Eddy Kenzo Early life and education
Masaka, Uganda is the place of Eddy Kenzo’s birth, whose true name is Edrisah Musuuza. After his mother passed away when he was 4 or 5 years old, he lived mostly on the streets of Masaka and Kampala for the next 13 years. At the age of nine, Kenzo entered the Masaka Local Council FC training to become a professional football player. Later on, he would be granted a sports bursary to attend Kampala’s Lubiri Secondary School, but he never completed his education.
Eddy Kenzo Career
In 2008, Kenzo started releasing music under the stage name Eddy Kenzo. In that same year, he and Mikie Wine published their debut single, “Yannimba”. He also released the single “Stamina” in 2010. Several politicians selected the song as their theme song for the general election in Uganda in 2011. Kenzo won the Best New Artist honor at the 2011 Pearl of Africa Music Awards. Early in his career, Kenzo also founded his own record company, Big Talent Entertainment. He is still involved in that endeavor as a member.
2012 saw Kenzo continuing to put out new tracks. He performed live for the first time in 2013 at the Kyadondo Rugby Club in support of the song “Kamunguluze”. The 2014 single “Sitya Loss” and its companion album of the same name marked Kenzo’s first significant breakthrough on the worldwide scene. In September 2014, record mogul Sean Combs released a YouTube video of a group of Ugandan kids known as the Ghetto Kids dancing to the song on social media. The video quickly gained popularity.
The video has received close to 42 million views on YouTube as of March 2022. To get the kids on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Kenzo also launched a petition. Following the release of “Sitya Loss” and the album of the same name, Kenzo and dancehall artist DeMarco embarked on a short US tour.
Alongside Akon, Kenzo performed during the Equatorial Guinea opening ceremonies of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in January. At the tournament final, he also performed. Around the same time, he created a remix of his 2014 hit song “Jambole” with Kcee, a Nigerian musician, as a special guest. Kenzo received the BET Award for “Viewer’s Choice Best New International Artist” in June 2015.
He was the first musician from East Africa to receive any form of BET Award. He played at the KigaliUp Music Festival in the capital city of Rwanda in July 2015. He released a remixed version of his song “Mbilo Mbilo” in October of that year, featuring Niniola, a Nigerian vocalist. Later, the original version of that song might be heard on the Queen of Katwe (2016) soundtrack.
Kenzo’s second album, Zero to Hero, featured the lead song, “Soraye,” which was released in December 2015. He took an Africa tour in March 2016, stopping in Kenya, the Ivory Coast, Mali, and other places. He published Zero to Hero later that month. Kenzo received a writing credit on Jidenna’s “Little Bit More” for the rest of 2016, was included in the Mi Casa song “Movie Star” and his remix of “Mbilo Mbilo” won an All Africa Music Award. Later in the year, he embarked on another tour of the US.38 Kenzo was designated as the Kenyan Tourism Board’s ambassador in May 2017 and was given a comparable position in Uganda the following year.
Before the release of his third studio album, Biology, in July 2017, Kenzo embarked on a European tour. Among the performers who made guest appearances on the album were Mani Martin, Werrason, and Mi Casa. The song “Jubilation” was also included, and its music video received the Zanzibar International Film Festival’s Best East African Music Video Award. At the All Africa Music Awards that year, he went on to win two prizes, including Best East African Male Artist. He will subsequently give the Uganda Museum in Kampala that honor and his 2015 BET Award.
Kenzo took home a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award in March 2018 for being named the “Favorite African Star.” He appeared with Triplets Ghetto Kids at some African music festivals in Canada in July 2018, including Afrofest in Toronto. Later in the year, he also had a performance at the One Africa Music Festival in Dubai. The single “Body Language” was taken from his fourth studio album, Roots, which was released in October 2018. Kenzo also revealed plans for a concert to commemorate ten years of his career as a musician. The event was held in the Victoria Ballroom of the Serena Hotel in Kampala on January 4, 2019. For two months leading up to the performance, Kenzo released a brand-new music video for a Roots song every week.
It was revealed in March 2019 that Kenzo and Triplets Ghetto Kids would be appearing in an upcoming music video for the song “Back to Love” by American musician Chris Brown. Kenzo released the song “Signal” along with a music video in April 2019.
Following up on his recent hot streak, Eddy Kenzo released the 2021 studio album “Made in Africa,” which featured some of the hottest producers, such as Tanzanian producer Hunter Nation for the popular love ballad “SoulMate.” The record continued to sell incredibly well, and supporters and fans were happy to hear new music.
Kenzo and American rapper Matt B collaborated on the song “Gimme Love” in 2022. The song peaked at #36 in November of that year after entering the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs at #49 in October. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, he and Matt B were nominated for the song’s Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance. Kenzo became the first musician from Uganda to live and work in that country to be nominated for a Grammy Award thanks to the nomination.
Eddy Kenzo Charities
The Eddy Kenzo Foundation is a nonprofit organization that Kenzo founded in 2015. To assist with donating items to nursing moms and personnel at the nearby Masaka hospital, he recruited Ugandan football players Tony Mawejje and Vincent Kayizzi in January 2016. Victor Wanyama played in two charity football matches he hosted in Masaka and Kampala in July 2017. Money was raised at the event for HIV-positive children in Uganda. He launched the Big Talent Soccer Academy in Kampala in March 2019. The academy finds young talent in the area and offers instruction to assist in developing their abilities.
Eddy Kenzo’s Musical performances
The “Eddy Kenzo Festival,” Eddy Kenzo’s biggest event to date, took place at Kampala’s Kololo Airstrip on November 12, 2022. The occasion drew a sizable audience and included several national and international special guests.
Eddy Kenzo celebrated his ten years in the Ugandan music scene on January 4, 2019, with an event named “10 Years of Eddy Kenzo.” Notably, the purpose of the event was to promote harmony between Bobi Wine and Bebe Cool, two well-known artists and political personalities from Uganda who have long-standing animosity.
Eddy Kenzo’s private life
Kenzo started dating Rema Namakula, a recording singer from Uganda. At Paragon Hospital in the Bugoloobi area of Kampala, Rema Namakula and Eddy Kenzo welcomed a daughter into the world on December 26, 2014. Kenzo, who was named Amaal Musuuza at birth and admitted to being the father, is the father of another daughter (Maya Musuuza) from a prior relationship. Rema and Kenzo split up in the middle of 2019, and she soon became engaged to her previous physician, Hamza Ssebunya.
Eddy Kenzo Social Media
- Twitter: @eddykenzoficial
- Instagram: @eddykenzo
- Facebook: Eddy Kenzo
- YouTube: Eddy Kenzo
- TikTok: eddy Kenzo
@eddy_kenzo_music #vrialtiktok #1000veiws #vrial_video #vrial #masakakidsafricana #eddykenzomusic #eddykenzo #foryourpage #foryoupage #foryou #bigbrother ❤️❤️❤️💙
Eddy Kenzo Discography
- 2013: Eddy Kenzo
- 2015: Yo Maps
- 2018: Roots
- 2021: Made in Africa
2014–2015 Award Recognition List:
Viewer’s choice international artiste of the year- BET Awards 2015
African artiste of the year – Nigerian Awards 2015
Best Video of the Year – Nigerian Awards 2015
East African artiste of the year – Kunde Awards Burkina Faso 2015
Best Music Video – Uganda Entertainment Awards 2015
Artist of the Year – Zzina Awards 2015
Best Male Artist – Zzina Awards 2015
Best Use Of Social Media by Artiste – Hipipo Music Awards 2015.
Best Video of the Year – African Entertainment Awards USA 2015
Best Male artiste of the year – African Entertainment Awards USA 2015
Most stylish Male celebrity – Abraynz Style and Fashion Awards 2015
African Golden Virtual Award Winner -2015
Rising Star Awards – Song and Video of the Year 2014/2015
Best Collaboration – AFRIMMA Awards 2015 Nominee
Inspirational Song – AFRIMMA Awards 2015 Nominee
Best Male East Africa – AFRIMMA Awards 2015 Nominee
Artist of the Year – AFRIMMA Awards 2015 Nominee
Best Upcoming Artist-AFRIMMA Awards 2014 Nominee
Channel O – Best East African Artist Nominee 2014
(IRAWMA) International Reggae and World Music Awards 2014 Nominee
A few of the worldwide venues where Eddy has performed are SXSW 2015 in Austin, Texas; the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Guinea Equatorial; Gabon; Ivory Coast; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; and numerous more locations.
Who Is Eddy Kenzo?
Ugandan recording artist Eddy Kenzo is the happy recipient of the 2015 MTV MAMA Award for “Best East African.” Since 2009, he has been making waves in the music industry and is well-known for his upbeat songs that fuse contemporary sounds with traditional African rhythms. “Sitya Loss,” “Maria Rosa,” “Buggala Ku Bugembe,” “Yanimba,” and “Celebrate” are some of his most well-known singles.
The 2015 MTV MAMA Award winner and most popular musician in Uganda. Kenzo Eddy!
What is the historical background of Eddy Kenzo?
Masaka, Uganda is the birthplace of Eddy Kenzo, whose true name is Edrisah Musuuza. He lived mostly on the streets of Masaka and Kampala for the next 13 years after his mother passed away when he was 4 or 5 years old. At the age of nine, Kenzo entered the Masaka Local Council FC training to become a professional football player.
What is the first song for Eddy Kenzo?
In 2008, Kenzo started releasing music under the stage name Eddy Kenzo. He and Mikie Wine published their debut song, “Yanimba,” in that same year.
How much is Kenzo’s net worth?
Artist Eddy Kenzo is well-known throughout the world. The hits Sitya Loss, Tweyagale, Mariaroza, and Songa are his most well-known works. In addition to penning successful singles, he runs the company Big Talent Entertainment. It currently stands at $1.5 million.
What is the tribe of Eddy Kenzo?
People can pick their identities in these fascinating times we live in. Now a member of a different tribe, singer Eddy Kenzo was born Edirisa Musuza in Masaka. On Saturday, September 24, he declared himself to be a Munyankole and stopped being a Muganda.
Was Eddy Kenzo nominated for the Grammy Awards?
Kenzo, whose real name is Edrisah Musuuza and who is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance, wants to share his culture with as many people as possible. “I try to market to the world using my culture and my knowledge.”
In summary
The multi-award-winning artist Eddy Kenzo’s career doesn’t appear to be winding down anytime soon. He distinguishes himself from other musicians in the current music scene with his distinctive fusion of traditional African sounds with contemporary beats.