Wednesday, 20 May 2015, Johannesburg – Mi Casa, Mandoza and Berita are amongst the musicians who stand to be honoured at this year’s Wawela Music Awards (WMAs). The Southern African Music Rights Organisation NPC (SAMRO) today released the list of nominees of the 2015 edition of the awards.
The WMAs remain the only event in the country to recognise South Africa’s song writing and composing talent. Tiyani Maluleke, SAMRO’s Marketing General Manager, says what sets the Wawela Music Awards apart from many other awards ceremonies in South Africa is the fact that they acknowledge the people behind the music we know and love, the composers and songwriters of music.
“We felt it was important to acknowledge and celebrate the talented songwriters and composers of this country. Some of them are not necessarily performers, they write music for film, television and advertising meaning they sometimes go unnoticed. Without the SAMRO members who write and compose the songs that are the soundtracks of our lives the world would be a less colourful place.” she says.
The 2015 nominees were selected through an extensive, audited process adjudicated by individuals drawn from several quarters of the South African music industry. Maluleke added that there was a huge amount of creative talent in South Africa and that the adjudication process was not an easy one.
“We would like to extend hearty congratulations to all our nominees this year, it is through their hard work and support that we are able to have a successful event that celebrates and showcases South Africa’s composing and song writing talent,“ she said.
The WMAs are not exclusively designed to provide a platform for works that are created for performance. They also showcase the work of film score composers, television production composers and music used in commercials.
Some of the noteworthy winners in previous years have included great composing talents such as Grammy award winners Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Mbongeni Ngema and Lebo M as well as Academy Award winning film score composer Trevor Jones.
Maluleke highlighted that the awards are in their third year and are set to grow from strength to strength as more and more serving music creators are brought to the fore.
Wawela Music Award winners will be announced during a glitzy ceremony on 26 June 2015. “We look forward to seeing numerous composers and authors of music recognised for their excellent contribution to South Africa’s music repertoire,” she says.
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FULL LIST OF NOMINEES:
STANDARD AWARDS
Best Soundtrack in a Feature Film or Theatric Documentary
Chris Letcher
Benjamin Willem
Alun Richards
Best Song or Composition in a Television Production
Brendan Jury
Gideon Murray
Musa
Best Song or Composition in a Television Commercial
Jeremy Loops
Alun Richards
Adam Howard
Best Song or Composition in a Radio Commercial
Alun Richards
RJ Benjamin & Relebogile Mabotja
Louis Enslin
Best Creative Album of the Year
Mi Casa
Jessica Mbangeni
Nomfundo Xaluva
Songwriter of the Year
Berita
Max-Hoba
Elpece Musiq
Best South African Duo/Group
Blackbyrd
Sam and Calla
MCCULLY WORKSHOP
Best Female Artist & composer/co-composer
Nomfundo Xaluva
Lindiwe Maxolo
Berita
Best Male Artist & composer/co-composer
Mandoza
Elvis Blue
Jeremy Olivier
SPECIAL AWARDS
Lifetime Achievement Award
To be announced
Prolific Catalogue of Works
To be announced
Breaking Through The Borders
To be announced
