SA music showcased at Samas
2006-05-08 13:28
Johannesburg - The phenomenal originality and indisputably high standard of South African music was showcased at the 12th Annual MTN SA Music Awards when 32 artists and individuals received the most celebrated award the country has to offer.
Judith Sephuma was among the frontrunners on a night which saw the stars of South Africa's entertainment world gather at the Sun City Superbowl to celebrate the country's recording artists.
Going into the awards with an impressive five nominations, Sephuma's second album, New Beginnings earned three Sama - the highly coveted title of Best Female Artist as well as Best Producer and Best Engineer.
Sephuma is one of the SA Music Awards' classic success stories. When she released A Cry, A Smile, A Dance in 2001, Sephuma was the recipient of two Sama's - Best Female Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album - at Sama 8. Her debut album went on to sell platinum-plus, helped by the interest surrounding her success at the SA Music Awards.
Brickz and Jimmy Dludlu
Closely trailing Sephuma with two awards apiece in the adjudicated categories, were Brickz and Jimmy Dludlu.
Brickz was crowned Best Newcomer, and his album Face-Brick took home the Sama for Best Kwaito Album. In triumphing in these two hotly-fought categories, Brickz proved - like Sephuma at Sama 8 - that being new to the game is no barrier to making a head-spinning impact on the Annual SA Music Awards.
Along with Arno Carstens, Jimmy Dludlu was a leading contender at the 12th Annual MTN SA Music Awards, with five nominations. Against the backdrop of this year's record number of entries Dludlu completed an amazing repeat of Sama 8 when he again walked away with Sama for Best Male Artist.
Unique about this win is the fact that Best Female winner this year, Judith Sephuma also won for Best Female at Sama 8, meaning that this is the second time that she and Dludlu have won these two categories in the same year. What's even more amazing is that these are the only two times that these artists have entered the awards at the same time. Dludlu also garnered the award for Best Jazz Album for his recording, Corners of My Soul.
Making his presence felt at the award's ceremony was Tuks Senganga - this newcomer wasted no time in showing his hip-hop cred by being honoured for Best Rap Album for Mafoko A Me. Black Coffee was also a first-time nominee, triumphing in the sizzling hot category of Best Dance Album for Black Coffee.
Trendsetting performers
Performers on the night, Bongo Maffin, remain trendsetting stalwarts as witnessed by their win in the category Best Duo or Group for New Construction. Shwi Nomtekhala took home the Sama for Best Selling Album of the Year for Wangisiza Baba - a recording that has ensured Maskandi music takes its place as one of the country's most beloved and devotedly followed music genres.
Malaika, whose self-titled debut was named Best Selling Album at Sama 11, earned yet another accolade when their album Vuthelani was crowned Best African Pop Album. And the creative partnership of Wessel van Rensburg and McCoy Mrubata on the album, Kulturation, took home the award for Best Instrumental Album, reprising a win the duo enjoyed as part of the Sheer All Stars at Sama 9 for the album Dance With Me.
In the Best Video category, it was Zamajobe's Magic, directed by Lara Hollis (who had been nominated twice this year) that took the Sama, and in one of the ceremony's newest and fast-growing categories, Best Music DVD, MIC's Moving Pictures was named the winner.
Best Rock Album was awarded to another newcomer on the recording scene, The Parlotones whose highly acclaimed debut album, Radiocontrolledrobot, deservedly earned the group the ultimate accolade. South African fan-favourite, Watershed repeated the group's success of the 10th Annual SA Music Awards when Mosaic was named Best Pop Album and over in the Best R&B Album category, Ishmael beat out the hefty competition to take home the Sama.
Good old Arno
Another of the night's performers and recipient of several Samas already (he received a Best Rock Album Sama at Sama 10 for Another Universe) Arno Carstens again revealed his ability to combine popular success with critical acclaim by being named the winner in the category Best Adult Contemporary Album: English for The Hello Goodbye Boys.
After being a nominee in the category Best Adult Contemporary Album: Afrikaans on two prior occasion, there was much celebration when singer and songwriter, Anna Davel, was honoured for her album, Godinne Op Die Grondpad. Best Adult Contemporary Album: African was awarded to Phinda for her album Mbheka Phesheya.
Traditional music categories were awarded on the night with Best Maskandi Album going to multi Sama winner, Phuzekhemisi for Sthandwa while repeat winner, Thomas Chauke took home yet another statuette when his album Xidudla Kedibone was honoured as Best Tsonga Music Album.
Newcomers to the Gospel music scene (and previous SA Music Award winners), Soweto String Quartet's Soweto String Quartet Plays Gospel took home the Sama for Best Contemporary Gospel Album whilst Rebecca won the Award for Best traditional African Gospel with her album Qapelani.
The 12th Annual MTN SA Music Awards paid tribute to five individuals whose contribution to the South African music industry is unmatched in their particular fields - Rex Rabanye, Thandi Klaasen, Al Debbo, Joe Correira, and Piet Botha were all honoured on the night with Lifetime Achievement Awards in an emotional moment during the two-hour ceremony that was broadcast live on SABC 1.
Winning a 12th Annual Music Awards is the ultimate accolade for the proud owners of a Sama in the categories adjudicated by the panel of judges - more than 800 entries were received for this year's ceremony ensuring the competition was tougher than ever before for those who triumphed at tonight's spectacular event! - www.samusicawards.co.za.