Greg Scelsa Says To Win A Grammy “Sometimes you have to go outside of the circle of reggae voters.”

A towering figure in music, Greg Scelsa first me tup with WMV in Los Angeles at an exclusive Grammy after party where he was happy with the announcement of Keznamdi as winner of Best Reggae Album. The veteran music industry figure speaks with World Music Views on a wide-range of topics that traced his extraordinary career, his role in a recent reggae triumph, and the evolving path to Grammy success

Just days after the excitement of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, veteran music industry figure Greg Scelsa sat down with World Music Views to reflect on a night filled with victories, emotion, and validation for artists he believes in.

“I’m doing well… Good to talk to you,” Scelsa said warmly at the start of the conversation, recalling their recent meeting “following the Grammys, which was an exciting, exciting time in Los Angeles.”

“I Teared Up When He Won”

Scelsa did not hide how deeply the reggae category affected him. Having worked closely with Keznamdi’s project, he described the artist as a boundary-pusher within the genre.

“I was truly blessed to have met Keznamdi about a year ago,” he said. “His music is sort of a cutting-edge reggae… rewriting the book a little bit.”

Helping the artist secure a nomination was meaningful — but the win itself was overwhelming.

“Full disclosure, I am an old man,” he joked. “But I teared up when he won. It was really exciting.”

Beyond reggae, Selsa had an unusually strong presence across the ceremony.

“I had eight other projects that I was involved in in one way or another that were nominated,” he explained. “They did not get the Grammy, but I’m truly blessed to have been surrounded by some pretty amazing people.”

One of those projects, in the children’s category, did take home a trophy — a victory he celebrated with equal enthusiasm.

A Career That Began in Classrooms — and Reached Carnegie Hall

Many listeners know Selsa as part of the legendary children’s duo Greg & Steve, whose educational music has shaped generations of young learners worldwide — including in Jamaica.

Greg & Steve

“We’ve done a lot,” he said modestly. “Twenty-three albums… if you include compilations and other things.”

Their influence was honored during Grammy weekend at a private gathering of Recording Academy members.

“They surprised me and my performing partner Steve with several awards,” he said, listing recognition from the City of Los Angeles, the Children’s Music Network, and Berklee College of Music, where he studied in 1967. “It was just a delight.”

Greg & Steve’s success was built not only on creativity but on entrepreneurial independence.

“We were independent before that was really a thing,” Scelsa explained. “There were no distributors for what we were creating, so we actually created our own distribution network.”

At one point, their recordings were sold in about 1,100 stores nationwide, primarily through educational supply outlets.

Performance demand was equally staggering. “We were doing about 100 shows a year,” he said. “Sometimes multiple shows in a day.”

One unforgettable milestone came in 1990.

“We actually sold out two shows at the biggest hall at Carnegie Hall… about 12,000 kids in one day.”

A Surprisingly Diverse Musical Journey

Although best known for children’s music, Selsa’s career spans an astonishing range of genres and collaborators.

“I’ve worked with everybody from Marie Osmond to Snoop Dogg,” he said. “That doesn’t get any more diverse.”

On one Greg & Steve album, the legendary Temptations sang the title track, while a then-emerging Babyface performed on another.

“I was blessed to have written a few other songs with him back in that time period,” Selsa added, referring to hit collaborations in the late 1980s.

Inside the Recording Academy

Selsa first joined the Recording Academy in the late 1970s but became deeply engaged after Greg & Steve received a Grammy nomination in 2009 for Jumpin’ and Jammin’.

They lost to Ziggy Marley — a result Selsa recalls with admiration.

“God love him,” he said. “I got a chance to meet him that weekend. Had it not been for him, we probably would have won that year.”

Since then, he has maintained consistent membership, gaining a nuanced understanding of how Grammy recognition works.

“You Have to Go Outside the Circle”

Asked how artists actually win Grammys, Scelsa emphasized that success often depends on reaching beyond one’s own genre — especially for categories like reggae that are less visible in the mainstream awards structure.

“The reggae category is not the most prominent category,” he said. “Sometimes you have to go outside of the circle of reggae voters.”

Greg and Steve Scelsa

His approach focuses on relationships rather than pressure.

“I don’t twist people’s arms to vote. I don’t pay them to vote,” he said. “I just make people aware of something they might not normally have been.”

If voters connect with the music, he believes, support follows naturally.

“And if they become enthralled by it… they’ll support it, even though it’s not something they would normally vote for.”

This cross-genre outreach has helped produce major wins, including multiple Grammys for contemporary blues artist Fantastic Negrito.

“All I did was let people know it was out there,” Scelsa said. “We got a nomination — and then won a Grammy.”

Campaign strategies today may include emails, social media promotion, live performances, and direct outreach to Academy members.

“It’s an all-inclusive thing,” he explained. “Not one-size-fits-all.”

“He Is the Kindest… Warm, Loving Human Being”

When speaking about Keznamdi personally, Selsa’s admiration was unmistakable.

“He is the kindest… most warm, loving human being,” he said. “Off camera and on camera — he’s the same guy.”

The artist’s songwriting, he believes, comes from authenticity rather than commercial calculation.

“He doesn’t write stuff to get a hit,” Scelsa said. “He writes stuff because that’s what’s inside his heart.”

Keznamdi is already branching beyond reggae, appearing on high-profile projects in other genres — though Scelsa declined to reveal details.

“You’ll find out pretty soon,” he hinted.

Keznamdi- photo by William Richards

While Scelsa cannot confirm exactly who voted for Keznamdi, he noted that outreach extended far beyond the reggae community.

“We exposed Keznamdi to a lot of people who… are not reggae artists,” he said, including global and African music figures.

Drawing from his own Grammy experience, he added:

“I went after people outside the genre first… because communities can be very cliquish.”

Still Creating After Five Decades

Despite more than 50 years in the industry, Scelsa remains actively involved in new music across multiple styles.

“I just got off a phone call… about an Americana album,” he said, noting plans to record in Nashville with top session musicians. Classical projects are also on the horizon.

“I’m all over the map, man,” he said with a laugh. “I love it.”

If his work has influenced reggae history, Scelsa accepts the idea with humility.

“If that happened, I’m glad I helped,” he said. “Most importantly, I’m just thrilled that I could help lift up a real, authentic reggae artist.”