Liberian Afrobeats star JZyNO has once again reignited his long-running frustration with music awards, telling his supporters not to vote for him or participate in any award ceremony that he does not personally post or endorse.
The latest statement appears to continue a position JZyNO has maintained since the 2023 MTN Liberia Music Awards, when he missed out on the coveted Artist of the Year award despite having one of the biggest commercial records of the year.
JZyNO walked away from the 2023 awards with four major trophies connected to his breakout hit “Butta My Bread,” featuring Ghanaian singer Lasmid. He won Afropop Artist of the Year, Afropop Song of the Year, Song of the Year and Collaboration of the Year. However, he did not win the biggest individual prize, Artist of the Year. That loss appears to have stayed with him.
Months later, JZyNO warned his fans against participating in award ceremonies that he had not personally posted or shared on his social media pages. His position became even more noticeable during the following editions of the Liberia Music Music Awards.
In 2024, JZyNO was nominated for Artist of the Year but did not publicly promote the nomination. He went on to win Male Artist of the Year and Collaboration of the Year for “Eyez on You,” featuring Ghanaian singer Camidoh.
The following year, he was again nominated for Artist of the Year but did not promote the nomination. He eventually won Video of the Year for “Mood,” featuring Khaid, yet did not publicly celebrate the award on his page.
The pattern has led some observers to believe that JZyNO’s issue is not necessarily with winning awards, but specifically with the Artist of the Year category.
What the MLMA criteria say
The Artist of the Year category is also more complicated than simply having the biggest song of the year.
According to the MLMA eligibility criteria, the award goes to the “most outstanding Liberian artist”, male or female, based on consistent musical output, chart performance, live performances, influence and overall fan impact during the eligibility period, which runs from August of the previous year through July of the current award year.
Artists must also have either at least one major project, such as an EP or album, or a minimum of three commercially successful singles released during the eligibility period.
That criteria creates an interesting point of discussion when looking back at JZyNO’s 2023 campaign.
“Butta My Bread” was undoubtedly a major commercial breakthrough for JZyNO, but it was his only major project during that period. The song became a massive hit and gave him international visibility, but Artist of the Year is not defined solely by one commercially successful record. The criteria also considers consistency, chart performance, live performances, influence and fan impact across the entire eligibility period.
That distinction could explain why winning Song of the Year, Afropop Song of the Year, Collaboration of the Year and Afropop Artist of the Year did not automatically translate into Artist of the Year.
The “Butta My Bread” shadow
Since “Butta My Bread,” JZyNO has struggled to produce another record with the same level of commercial and international impact. He has released successful records and continued collecting awards, but none has yet matched the cultural and commercial footprint of the Lasmid-assisted hit. That makes his pursuit of Artist of the Year increasingly uncertain.
Some observers believe this may be part of the frustration behind his repeated comments about the award. JZyNO has already established himself as an award-winning artist, but the one trophy he appears to value most continues to elude him.
During a 2024 live session, he spoke about why winning Artist of the Year in Liberia was so important to an artist’s career. He explained that such recognition could strengthen an artist’s portfolio when approaching international artists for collaborations because their teams could look at an artist’s achievements before deciding whether to work with them. His comments showed how seriously he views the award. But his frustration has not been limited to the trophy itself.
This year, JZyNO claimed that without him, the Liberian music industry would stop, a statement that sparked debate among fans and industry observers. He also expressed disappointment that after the international success of “Butta My Bread,” some of Liberia’s major industry stakeholders, veteran artists and government officials did not reach out to recognize what he believed was his contribution to taking Liberian music to a global audience. He said he expected the Liberia Music Awards to acknowledge him in some way, whether onstage or backstage, even joking that they could have handed him an envelope, “empty or not,” to appreciate his work.
Meanwhile, despite his apparent boycott, JZyNO has continued to win major MLMA awards. His 2024 wins for Male Artist of the Year and Collaboration of the Year, followed by his 2025 Video of the Year win, show that the awards body has continued to recognize his work. What remains missing is the one award he continues to talk about.
Artist of the Year.
Now, JZyNO has once again told his supporters not to vote for him or participate in any award show that he does not personally post or share. For some, it is a boycott. For others, it is a sign of an artist who still feels he was overlooked at a crucial moment in his career.
Either way, the debate raises an important question: Is JZyNO frustrated with the awards themselves, or is he frustrated that the Artist of the Year trophy he believes should have been his in 2023 , and has continued to chase since then , remains out of reach?
Until JZyNO wins that title, the conversation surrounding him and Liberia’s biggest individual music award is unlikely to end.
