Wawela Awards 2013 – The low down.
SAMRO officials and music lovers at large gathered at the Sandton Convention Centre to pay homage to SA’s top songwriters and composers living in the country & abroad. Before the awards ceremony went underway dinner was served: an exquisite 3-course meal enjoyed to the sounds of beautiful music while soft candlelight created the perfect ambiance. To kick things off, funny guy 5FM breakfast show host Gareth Cliff, and stunner Azania Masoka of the newly launched PowerFM introduced themselves as MCs for the evening to an excited crowd, and then the show began. The first performance of the night was by The Soil with a song from their hit album, followed by Black Porcelain, a young lady with an exquisite voice who many were experiencing for the first time. She took home awards for Best Female and Creative Album of the Year, becoming one of two artists to achieve such a feat, alongside Trevor Jones who scooped the Wawela Breaking Borders Award. The ever-lovely Lira took the award for Songwriter of the Year. The show continued with stellar performances by Mam’ Dorothy Masuku and Mafikizolo performing Nontsokolo to the crowds delight, & she proved why she is a living legend by winning the Lifetime Achievement Award to celebrate her 60 years in the music biz. There was a spirited performance by Phuzekhemisi alongside Koos Kombuis, who sang a beautiful ballad to the soothing sound of his guitar. The White Zulu AKA Johnny Clegg took us back to the days of Juluka & Sipho Mchunu & he also walked away with the prestigious Wawela Prolific Catalogue of Works award for his illustrious career spanning more than 3 decades. The Inaugural Recognition Award was awarded to five well deserving composers. These are artists who have gonebeyond their call of duty to compose melodies that have dominated radio, TV and even international Film drama series. Notable winners included Lebo M, Mbongeni Ngema, Alan Lazar, Trevor Jones and Sizwe Zako who praised their peers for inspiration in their acceptance speeches. As the night of celebration drew to a close, outgoing CEO of SAMRO Nick Motsatse’s two daughters surprised him with a piano & violin medley and the chairman of the SAMRO Board of directors, Rev. Abe Sibiya presented Mr Motsatse with a special award. He also thanked Mr Motsatse for his dedication and service to the state of South African music. Mafikizolo brought the house down with their single Khona which had all guests on their feet & getting down. All in all it was an exquisite evening where the people behind the music finally got their chance under the spotlight. Awards like Wawela...
FORMAL EXECUTIVE ANNOUNCEMENT – Soul Divas.
The Executive of Lifestyle Events International has decided to cancel the Johannesburg leg of The International Soul Divas tour of South Africa. After much deliberation, the decision to cancel has been formally made due to lack of ticket sales in Johannesburg. This decision in no way affects the Cape Town performance, which will take place at the GrandWest, Grand Arena on Saturday, 6 July 2013. Lifestyle Events International would like to take this opportunity to thank all media partners in Johannesburg for their assistance and dedication, and wishes to express regret for any inconvenience caused. Kind regards Bevan Chetty Marketing Manager +27 82 881...
WINNERS: Wawela Music Awards 2013!
The inaugural Wawela Music Awards just concluded with a splendid performance from two beautiful sisters, one a violin player and the other a piano player. Here’s the full list of winners below: The winners for Wawela Music Awards are: Best soundtrack in a feature film or theatric documentary: Philip Miller for Leaving Father Best song or composition in a television production: Gregory Reveret for Loxion Kulca Roots Best song or composition in a television commercial: Jeremy “James” Barnard for the Sunlight Liquid commercial Best song or composition in a radio commercial: Rene Veldsman for the Shoprite commercial Best creative album of the year: Black Porcelain for Invincible Summer Songwriter of the year: LIRA Best South African duo/group: Tumi and the Volume Best female artist & composer/co-composer: Black Porcelain Best male artist & composer/co-composer: Daniel Baron Statistical Award for Live Performance & Broadcast: JB Arthur Wawela Lifetime Achievement Award: Dorothy Masuku Wawela Breaking Through the Boarders Award: Trevor Jones Wawela Prolific Catalogue of Works Special Award: Johnny Clegg Wawela Inaugural Recognition Award: Alan Lazar Mbongeni Ngema Lebo M Trevor Jones Sizwe...
Introducing to you, REASON!
Young, gifted with rap. Youʼd be forgiven for thinking this is hip-hop artist Sizwe “Reason” Moeketsiʼs moniker. Having broken into the music industry early, this young artist has a starpower and longevity that belies his age. Read more after the jump. Born in Tembisa and raised in Katlehong, Reason came up as a battle rapper competing in numerous competitions, both official and on the street corner. It wasnʼt long before Johannesburg began to take notice and he began making appearances on YFM delivering breakfast jingles for DJ Fresh on “The Unrestricted Breakfast Show” in 2005. Reason has gone on to be named Hype Magazineʼs King of the Bedroom and was named “Emcee of the Month” by Hip Hopʼs first lady Lee Kasumba in March 2006 on YFM “Rap Activity”. This buzz propelled Reason to multiple shows across South Africa as well as a Scandinavian tour. Since then, Reason has gone to collaborate with some of South Africaʼs most prolific rappers such as Proverb, Tumi, Zubz, ILL Skillz, HHP, Amu, and AKA. Reasonʼs first studio release “The Reasoning”, boasting the production talents of Battlekat, Instro, Mizi, Rastic Ras and Ootz The Afronaut, garnered critical acclaim posting 4 stars in Hype Magazine, positioning it as one of South Africaʼs highest rated albums in 2010. Reason then joined South Africaʼs largest hip-hop brand Kool Out Entertainment as the featured Emcee and host for all Johannesburg events and has performed with international stars Ras Kass, Qwazzar (Typical Cats), KʼNaan, Masta Ace, and Talib Kweli. In 2011, this “Unsigned Hype” joined Motif Records, marking a new step in his career and featured his first official label release in June 2012, “Audio 3D”. Motif Records, a South African based independent music company, recording, developing and promoting cutting edge music through strategic music management. Motif was formed in the late 2000’s and have established one of the most sought after roster including one of Africa’s most popular hip-hop exports – Tumi (Tumi And The Volume), South African/Canadian singer/songwriter Zaki Ibrahim, the labels latest artist partnership include SA hip-hop artists Perfecto and Reason. Since the release of “Audio 3D”, the lead single “Do It Like I Can” has gone on to #1 on both the Metro FM and YFM charts. The song also won “Song of the Year” at the South African Hip Hop Awards in November, 2012. The second single, “A Lot On My Mind” is topped the YFM charts in January, 2013 and its music video is currently on high rotation. In April, 2013, Reason was nominated for two SAMAs for “Best Rap Album” and “Best Male”. Reason online channels: www.facebook.com/reasonthemass twitter: @reason4audio3d Bookings and...
Savanna and The CCA’s launch a night of comedy at The Soweto Theatre.
The Soweto Theatre erupted in applause on Tuesday night as 21 new comedians delivered their best performances for South Africa’s comedy industry in an exciting new event launched in the run up to The 3rd Annual South African Comic’s Choice Awards™ (CCA’s). The first event of its kind ever, the inaugural Savanna Newcomer’s Showcase surprised everyone with its caliber of raw talent and fresh material and the theatre echoed with wild applause and standing ovations. As the CCA’s is an industry event, the nominees in the Newcomer category are voted for by their peers and not the public, which gave rise to the question “how does the industry know who to vote for if they’ve never seen these Newcomers perform?” Inspired by this insight, Savanna and the CCA team created this developmental initiative to give SA’s budding talent a platform to strut their stuff in front of SA’s finest, in a bid to be selected as one of the four nominees in their category. An event for beginners, no one knew quite how it would turn out, so it takes a brave brand to see the potential in something and back it on the feeling that its simply going to be great! Instead of just sponsoring the awards, Savanna reached out to all registered Newcomers, flew in the out-of-towners and proved that they really are in the trenches with comedy by giving each comedian a five minute slot in one momentous evening hosted by the hilarious Kagiso Lediga. “It was a true sign that SA comedy has come of age, is extremely diverse and world class”, stated a proud Lediga after the show. Garnering massive support from the industry, previous award winners and the country’s iconic talent cheered and jeered with endorsements from the likes of Alyn Adams, Ndumiso Lindi, Lazola Gola, Skhumba Hlophe and Goliath and Goliath. “The crew and the acts all worked out into a fantastic mix. Our gut tells us that we have started something very important in Soweto. Thanks Savanna, you’re building comedy history with us and we are most grateful”, comments John Vlismas, founder of the CCA. Career-defining moments were captured by numerous Tweets from Newcomers throughout the night, such as Eureka Nkese’s “The Showcase was amazing. Performing at the beautiful Soweto Theatre alongside Kagiso Lediga will be an unforgettable experience for me. I felt like a real comedian”, and Newcomer Liam Bento’s “Easily one of the biggest highlights of my comedy career, meeting other comics, getting advice from seasoned comics, amazing venue… Priceless!!!” Newcomer Nicholas Goliath: “Comedy is the future and the Savanna Newcomer’s Showcase proves that the industry is growing in leaps and bounds” Watch the...
Venus and Serena – Tennis Legends.
Make a date to see the legendary Williams sisters bear it all for the cameras in this once in a lifetime documentary. We’ve often seen them have a go at each other in the tennis court, but now get to find out how their off-court lives look like and get to know the game a little better. See details after the jump. 7:30pm STUDIO 4 VENUS & SERENA Discover the truth behind the legends. COUNTRY : USA DIRECTORS : Maiken Baird & Michelle Major DURATION : 110 min GENRE : Documentary AGE RESTRICTION: 13L CAST : Venus Williams, Serena Williams. SYNOPSIS : Ever since the Williams sisters started playing tennis they have provoked strong reactions; from awe and admiration to suspicion and resentment. They have been winning championships for over a decade, pushing the limits of longevity in a very demanding sport. Baird’s and Major’s brilliant documentary gives unprecedented access into Venus and Serena’s lives during the hardest year of their career. In 2011 when Venus grappled with an energy-sapping autoimmune disease, Serena battled back from a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. Neither Venus nor Serena let their adversities hold them back. Instead they drew their greatest strength from each other. – Screening in collaboration with Encounters Documentary Festival – Courtesy of Maiken Baird & Michelle Major FREE SCREENING , REFRESHMENTS Limited seating, come earl… ADDRESS : 33 Frost Ave, Milpark TEL : +27 11 482 7111 EMAIL...
We will be back!
