Cameroon: Libianca scoops Best International Act at 2023 BET Awards

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, June 26, 2023 – Cameroonian-American Afro-beat singer Libianca Kenzonkinboum Fonji, popularly known as Libianca, has won her first BET Award for her break-out single People. Since the arrival of “People”, the song has racked up over 150 million Spotify streams alone.

The 2023 BET Awards took place on Sunday night with hip-hop's biggest stars taking home awards for their work over the past year. This year, the BET Awards celebrates 50 years of hip hop and honours music artists, actors, athletes and more for their work, achievements and cultural impact.

“I've been drinking more alcohol for the last five days... Did you check on me?" sings the 22-year-old, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and then relocated to Cameroon when she was 4 years old, her voice melancholy and smooth over a simple music box accompaniment.

Libianca made history as the first Cameroonian artist to be nominated and capped that off with a victory. She was nominated alongside Pabi Cooper, Asake, Camidoh, Flo, MC Ryan, Raye, and Werenoi for the BET Viewers’ Choice Best International Act.

“I forgot the last part of my speech and I'll never forget it again because I still have to make it up but I want to take a moment to thank the one person who makes living on earth a breeze. I'm not gonna type a whole paragraph for people to be reading in our business but I have to give you your flowers like this and you know why,” Libianca wrote on her Instagram page.

“Engineer, stylist, manager, artist, producer, my husband, my person, my annoyance lol. Nothing is enjoyable without you and I wanna say j’suis desole and I appreciate you for loving me as I am and quite frankly dealing with my ass. I love you, Papi.”

The lyrics of People discuss her experience of the rare mood disorder cyclothymia, which causes emotional ups and downs that are similar to, but less extreme than, those of bipolar disorder. Making People to her was a “very productive therapy session.”

“I hope that my supporters understand from this song that it’s okay to not be okay,” she tells Genius. “It’s okay to be sick of it. Just feel. Feel those emotions. As I'm going through my fourth panic attack of the day... This song just makes me feel like I am not the only one."

People have been a soul-searching song that has captivated many, who can all relate to the troubles of life. "This song has been my best friend for the past few weeks," one viewer of the song wrote, saying Libianca's music had comforted her after losing a child.

The comments page is full of similar stories. Encouragingly, it's also full of strangers offering support and consolation. "I couldn't be prouder," says Libianca, "because it's helping people get the support they need. "And it helped me as well because my friends didn't know that's how I was feeling when I recorded that song."