Winter Approaches...its SAMA this Weekend

...and the beat goes on. South Africa celebrates its 16th MTN Annual Music Awards.

The musical movers and shakers turn insomniac in our country at this time of the year. This is the one time what your friends tell you about your music doesn't really count but moreso what the judges have sealed in those envelopes. I say good luck and thank you for the music that's got us through traffic jams, made us dance in clubs and helped me clean my room. We appreciate all the hard work.

The awards will be broadcast live from The Sun City Superbowl on Saturday the 17th of April at 20:00 on SABC1. I'll be watching them from the comfort of my house (sniff sniff)...

Okay, for me there are only 3 main awards really, Album of the Year, Lifetime Achievers and MTN SAMA Record of the Year, nothing sinister to the other categories. These awards, especially the Lifetime Achiever Award, is what has paved the music industry in our country. So whether an artist wins or not at least they'll find some sense of inspiration, if not direction as to what makes an artist timeless in this industry. Tick!
Letta Mbuli, Brenda Fassie, Philip Tabane, Bra Hugh, Abdullah Ibrahim, Mama Makeba, are only a few of the nominees for this category. If that is not what a tight line up is then maybe I have been listening with my deaf ear all along...

Liquid Deep, Teargas, Lira, Blk Jks, HHP, The Parlotones, Zulu Boy are at the top of my mind for whatever awards. My fingers are crossed. Sorry I can't put any money on the table, I saw a piece I liked at Trenery. (ching chong cha! Trenery wins)

The MTN SAMA have introduced a new award this year for the International Achievers. This focuses on our own local artists who have seen remarkable success across the world. The likes of HHP, Freshly Ground, Jozi, Soweto Gospel Choir, Blk Jks, Kwani Experience, Springbok Nude Girls to name a few. The game gets tougher I tell you. Exciting times, exciting times!

The MTN Record of the Year is a mighty award as the votes lie in OUR hands, the critical judges. The winner will be chosen from a list of 20 shortlisted artists. This list is based on the number of airplay, research and input from the judges, record labels and so forth. All it takes is a call or an sms to see JR 'Make the Circle Bigger' on stage while some coloured folks pull zaps at him. (10smses max per fan, standard rates apply).

Did I mention this years sponsors, Ray Ban, Nokia X6, Nikon, MT, Taboo, Levis, Haivaianas, Heineken (cheers), EA Games and Converse.

Ayeye!

P.S. Shout out to the companies responsible for creating this years logo and that responsible for the website. Here's to hoping the people responsible for putting the event together do a stellar of a job. Its the lil things that count and keep us coming back for more.