They say never meet your idols
- Simone Pinto
- Sep 27
- 2 min read
But in 2012, at the O2 Arena, fate had other plans.
I was at the Spirit Of London Awards that night, supporting the volunteers on the ticket desk. Kanya King CBE had come to support the event, and by sheer luck, I was the one who got to escort her to her seat.
I was in awe. What do you say to someone who changed the cultural landscape of Britain? There was too much to squeeze into a 120-second lift ride, so I said nothing. I just stood there, basking in her beauty and her aura.
When we entered the box we had reserved for her, she looked down at the pit of young nominees below and turned to me:
"Can I go down there? I don’t want to be up here away from it all—I want to be with them."
That moment told me everything about who she is.
MOBO was never about velvet ropes and VIP boxes.
It was about proximity.
About leadership that didn’t separate itself from the people, but sat among them, lifted them, celebrated them.
In the 1990s, there was no mainstream recognition of Black music in the UK.
Black culture was everywhere, in clubs, on pirate radio, in record shops, but it wasn’t celebrated with the class, glamour, and legitimacy it deserved.
Then came the MOBO Awards.
The MOBOs weren’t just another event ... they were a statement.
They said Black culture belonged centre stage.
They stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Brits and MTV, but spoke directly to the wider community with authenticity.
They were national pride. London finally got something right.
And at the heart of it all was one woman: Kanya King.
A mother. A businesswoman. A visionary.
A force of nature who refused to accept that our music didn’t deserve the spotlight.
She created a platform that didn’t just entertain—it uplifted, validated, and gave an entire generation the confidence to be seen.
That’s why MOBO mattered.
That’s why it still matters.
And that’s why Kanya King isn’t just a founder—she is a cultural architect.
Without her, UK Black music would have been delayed, diluted, or dismissed for even longer.