adminA NUMBER of new kids on the music block dominate the major categories for the landmark 20th Annual South African Music Awards (SAMAs) which will be held in Johannesburg on April 28 — with some familiar favourites also creeping into the running for South Africa’s most prestigious music competition. The nominees for SAMA 2014 were announced amid great excitement and anticipation at Sun International’s Carnival City in Ekurhuleni, South Africa on Thursday. Newcomers, Gangs of Ballet are set to rock the SAMAs with five nominations, leading the pack along with perennial dance darlings Mi Casa.
Another two stellar fresh faces, Naima Kay and Nakhane Touré, have emphatically announced their presence on the scene with four nods apiece — including three in the coveted top five categories.
Also bagging four SAMA nominations are Mafikizolo, whose comeback release Reunited has been crowned with nods for Best Pop Album, Best Collaboration, Duo or Group of the Year and Album of the Year. Former SAMA winners The Parlotones, have made it clear that they have no intention of slowing down any time soon by securing nominations across four categories.
Joining Mafikizolo in the Album of the Year category are music acts representing a diverse mix of genres: DJ Kent, Mi Casa, Naima Kay and Nakhane Touré. Another fiercely contested category is Duo or Group of the Year, in which electronic trio GoodLuck and Afropop duo Mafikizolo vie for glory with veteran rockers The Parlotones and newbies Gangs of Ballet, as well as house favourites Mi Casa.
The SAMAs will once again see debutantes basking in the well-deserved limelight, with the Newcomer of the Year category contested among Gangs of Ballet, Nakhane Touré, Naima Kay, IFani and MuzArt. Kay also gamely steps up to the plate to compete with her more established counterparts in the Female Artiste of the Year category: Judith Sephuma, Rebecca, Zahara and Dear Reader.
Similarly, fellow newcomer Touré will be hoping to stand his ground when it comes to the competition for Male Artiste of the Year. He will be slugging it out with breakthrough singer-songwriters Connell Cruise and Matthew Mole, as well as more seasoned campaigners Vusi Mahlasela and Kabomo.
David du Plessis, the Chief Operating Officer of the Recording Industry of SA (RISA), said this year’s event would be special in more ways than one: “Not only are we celebrating 20 years of South Africa’s premier music awards, we are also commemorating the country’s 20th anniversary of democracy.”
“This year’s crop of SAMA nominees perfectly encapsulate the rainbow nation in all its creative diversity and vibrancy. We are extremely proud to be sharing our 20-year milestone with the birth of the new South Africa as a nation.”
As always, all eyes will be on the Record of the Year category, which is determined by a public vote. The nominees for this award will be announced soon, after which fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite song and artiste of 2013.
The Lifetime Achievement Awards, honouring the veterans and game-changers in the industry, will also be revealed prior to the awards ceremony. — JacarandaFm.
Online Reporter