The MTN South African Music Awards came off recently in Johannesburg. Below are the winners of the awards.

MTN Record of the Year - DJ Sdunkero - Maputo Song
I was thinking Loyiso's I want you or Freshlyground's Pot belly maybe?

Best Male Solo Artists - Hip Hop Pantsula – Acceptance Speech
He followed up the MTV nomination and music video project with this one.

Best female Solo Artist - Karen Zoid – Postmodern World

Best Duo/Group - Freshlyground – Macheri

I'm in South Africa and just wanted to give everyone an update on the music scene and what's going on lately...

-Kabelo is proving time and time again that he's ruling the kwaito world with his latest SMASHING album "I am King". Lyrics and video coming soon! I'm also hearing rumours of TKZee in the studio engineering a new comeback album. Should be interesting, what with Kabelo so sick with the rhymes, and Zwai coming back from Opera-mode. I havent seen Tokollo in a while though.

There are African songs and there are AFRICAN songs.
Some songs are classics, known from country to country and when you go to an African party, people from various places in the continent know and dance to it.

Some are Vul'indlela, Umqombothi, Malaika, Sweet Mother and Premier Gaou.

What are some others?

So, our favorite Afro-fusion group from South Africa has done it again! Freshlyground just released their second, and most anticipated album. Its called Ma'Cheri. I wonder where the inspiration for the name comes from, Ma' Cheri in tsotsitaal means "the beautiful women". The album was released on September 3rd 2007 and is already getting great reviews, so I hear. I imagine it is the rockas! The first single is "Potbelly" (lol, interesting...) and my research tells me we should be looking out for a video soon. It may just be coming to a Museke near you!

They may go unnoticed as we jam to kwaito, soukouss, highlife and bongo flava, but the African Children's Choir is a strong presence whose mission we all need to be in support of. Made up of the most precious of faces and the most delicate of voices, the choir comprises of young African children aged between 7 and 11. Many of them have lost a parent or two to famine and disease, some are HIV positive orphans. They speak different languages and are from various countries around the continent, but they have united in one voice to represent and raise awareness to the issues concerning AIDS orphans from all over Africa. They were recently featured in the "Blood Diamond" movie's soundtrack. They have shared stages with personalities such as Miriam Makeba, Thandiswa Mazwai, Josh Groban, Wyclef Jean, Michael W. Smith to name a few, and have been successful in raising significant funds towards supporting and educating their brothers and sisters throughout the continent.

Check out the winners of the recent 2008 edition here

A celebration of South African Music.

Congratulations to all the winners!

1. Best Female Artist
Simphiwe Dana - The One Love Movement on Bantu Biko Street

2. Best Male Artist
Vusi Mahlasela - Naledi Ya Tsela

3. Best Duo/Group
Mafikizolo - Six Mabone

It's 6 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes and about 38 seconds :-) until South Africa once again puts on the annual glamorous award show at Sun City to honor South African, Swazi, Tswana and Sotho musicians that have excelled, to say the least, in their respective genres, and have made a significant contribution to the South(ern) African entertainment industry.

I, for one, am an angered woman because it seems I will always miss the opportunity to go to this event. I am wondering why it is never held during the festive season? Actually, the best albums are usually released during this season, so by the time the awards come, they have enjoyed their mass airplay on YFm, Metro FM, Kaya FM, Ikhwezi FM and others, as well as had their share of dancefloor madness. You can find all these radio stations online, just let google do the work for you :-)