Cameron RobertsMOBO founder and CEO Kanya King CBE has been awarded the Strat Award at the Music Week Awards.
The award, which was presented to her by Craig David, recognises a lifetime of achievement for King, in a career which has seen her help take Black music from the margins of British popular culture to the heart of the mainstream in the UK.
The founder of the MOBO Awards, King has throughout her career helped force diversity to the top of the national agenda while building up the MOBO Group and the MOBO Organisation.
She said, “25 years in the making, words can’t describe how much this means to me and our culture. Thank you for this special recognition and to everyone that has supported me and the MOBO Organisation along the way.
“This Award is dedicated to all those who have gone before me and whose shoulders I stand on and to the younger generation who will be making their own mark – go for it!”
Dedications poured in for King, with artists including Tinie Tempah, Skin and Ray BLK highlighting King’s influence on the UK’s music scene.
Ray BLK wrote, “Queen Kanya, congratulations on your award, you deserve so,so much more. Thank you so much for giving a spotlight for black music and for doing so when other people were afraid to. The new generation can only now copy and follow in your footsteps because you’re the trailblazer who started it all. We’re so grateful, thank you for your support, for me in particular in my career so far and I cannot wait to see what you and the MOBOs continue to do in the years to come. So much love, congratulations.”