It is with profound sadness that the MOBO Organisation announces the passing of its Founder and Chief Executive, Kanya King, who died peacefully on 3 June 2026 after a courageous and determined battle with colon cancer. She was surrounded by her family, close friends, and love in her final moments.
Her passing marks the end of a remarkable life defined not only by personal resilience, but by an unwavering commitment to reshaping the cultural fabric of British music and ensuring that talent, regardless of background, had a platform powerful enough to be seen and heard.
Three decades ago, in an act of extraordinary conviction, Kanya King remortgaged her home alone, without institutional backing, corporate sponsorship, or industry endorsement, to create what would become one of the most influential cultural institutions in modern British history. At the time, she was a single mother from a Kilburn council estate, navigating an industry that repeatedly dismissed Black music as commercially marginal and culturally niche.
Where others saw risk, she saw reality ignored. Where others saw absence, she saw demand unmet. And where others saw barriers, she built infrastructure.
Six weeks after her bold decision, the first MOBO Awards was broadcast nationally. It did not merely introduce a new awards show; it introduced a new cultural lens. From that moment onward, the landscape of British music recognition shifted irreversibly.
What she founded grew beyond ceremony or celebration. Under her leadership, the MOBO Organisation became an engine of visibility, legitimacy, and opportunity for artists whose work had long been central to British culture yet historically underrepresented in mainstream recognition. It was, in essence, a correction to decades of omission.
Through MOBO, generations of artists found a stage that validated their artistry on equal footing with any global mainstream standard. From early pioneers to contemporary global stars, the platform helped elevate careers and expand cultural narratives. Artists such as Craig David, Ms. Dynamite, Sade, Amy Winehouse, Kano, Little Simz, Stormzy, RAYE, Central Cee, Olivia Dean, Krept & Konan, So Solid Crew, and countless others either emerged through or were amplified by the ecosystem she created.
Her vision was never limited to awards alone. It extended into education, mentorship, industry development, and the creation of pathways for emerging talent behind the scenes—producers, writers, executives, and creatives who might otherwise have remained invisible to the wider industry. She understood early that cultural transformation required structural change, not symbolic recognition alone.
Over time, MOBO’s reach expanded globally, connecting audiences and artists across continents and building bridges between music communities that had previously been separated by geography and gatekeeping. Under her leadership, the organisation reached hundreds of millions worldwide, becoming both a cultural institution and a global reference point for excellence in music diversity.
Her contributions were formally recognised when she was awarded a CBE for services to music and philanthropy, and later honoured by the Ivors Academy in 2025. Yet even amid accolades, she remained focused on purpose rather than prestige. She often rejected the notion that success should be measured by acceptance into existing systems, instead insisting that systems themselves must evolve.
Even in illness, her determination did not waver. At the MOBO Awards ceremony in Newcastle in February 2025, shortly after her diagnosis, she addressed the audience with characteristic resolve, stating: “I never allowed someone to define my limits. Not in life. Not in business. And I’m certainly not going to have that happen now.” The words reflected not only personal courage, but the ethos that had defined her entire career.
That ethos shaped every stage of her journey: resistance without bitterness, ambition without apology, and progress without permission.
In recognition of her extraordinary legacy, the 2026 MOBO Awards—held during the organisation’s 30th anniversary year—will be dedicated entirely to her memory. It will stand as both tribute and continuation: a reminder that the structures she built were never intended to end with her, but to endure far beyond her lifetime.
Her absence leaves a profound void in the cultural landscape she helped reshape. Yet her influence remains embedded in every stage that now exists for underrepresented talent, in every artist who was told they did not fit the industry but succeeded regardless, and in every audience that came to understand the true breadth of British music.
The world was changed by Kanya King. The institutions she built endure, but more importantly, so does the belief she proved true: that talent will always find its stage when someone is determined enough to build it.
The MOBO family mourns her deeply, but also honours her with gratitude, pride, and enduring inspiration for generations to come.
