The Street Love Is What Brings The Artiste Of The Year Conversation - Kuami Eugene

Singer and songwriter, Kuami Eugene has said that being a sweet boy artiste may win admiration from fans and corporate audiences, but it does not necessarily translate into major award wins in Ghana’s music industry.

Speaking on Culture Daily on 3Music TV, the singer opened up about the evolution of his public image from a hard guy raised in Fadama to the polished “sweet boy” persona he currently embraces.

According to him, balancing both identities was difficult during his early years in music.

“I was raised in the streets, so I was more of a hard guy than the lover boy,” he said.

Kuami Eugene explained that although his songs sounded romantic, his real-life personality initially clashed with the image Lynx Entertainment wanted him to project.

“I still wanted to reply to everybody. If you attack me, I’ll attack you back,” he recalled.

The artiste said his time around KiDi, Richie Mensah and other Lynx Entertainment members gradually changed his outlook.

“I had to choose between continuing being a hard guy or trying to tune my brand to suit the sweet boy vibe,” he said.

However, the musician believes Ghana’s music industry rewards artistes who maintain a stronger street connection.

“One thing I realised is being a sweet boy doesn’t actually get you the buzz you need as an artiste. It gets you acceptance from Twitter, the bougie people, women and children empowerment events, but you won’t get the Artiste of the Year conversation,” he stated.

According to him, artistes often need monster bangers and mass appeal to dominate award discussions.

“You need something for the masses. The street love is what brings the Artiste of the Year conversation,” he said.

Kuami Eugene also admitted that maintaining a street identity comes with pressure and obligations. He recounted moments when friends from his neighbourhood would show up at Lynx Entertainment offices on motorbikes expecting support from him.

“It’s difficult because once you start doing things for them, it becomes an allegiance,” he explained.

Despite fully embracing his sweet boy era, the musician said he still maintains ties with his roots through initiatives such as the Fadama Rockstar concerts.

“I wanted to be an example that you can move from this place to this place,” he said.