Malawi awards resurface with new name, reveal nominees
It’s been two years since the Malawi Music Awards were last held and now the event has resurfaced with a new name – Nyasa Music Awards (NMAs). The award ceremony will be held at Comesa Hall in Blantyre on 5 May.
Some of the country’s heavyweights such as Ethel Kamwendo Banda, Tay Grin, Edgar and Davis, Joseph Nkasa, Theo Thomson and Faith Mussa will perform at the ceremony.
NMAs co-founder Chifundo Maganga told local media that the awards would be held every year. He said the launch of the new awards was prompted by the fact that Malawian artists were not being recognised for their talent and success.
Featuring new categories such as Best Acoustic Artist, Best DJ and Lifetime Achievement Award, Maganga said the NMAs would compete with well-known awards ceremonies around the world.
“We are organising the awards to be on par with international standards,” he said. “That is why it has taken us a long time to come up with the awards. The preparation for the awards started last year because we did not want to rush.”
Maganga said the public would vote for their favourite nominated artists in each category. “The awards will be transparent in the sense that the public will be in control of the show by casting their votes through voting lines, because having a panel of judges can attract bias from the judges," he said.
Meanwhile, a list of nominees for this year’s awards has been released, with Zani Challe, Tay Grin and Dan Lu dominating the main categories.
The organisers said the list was compiled by a committee of experts and voting would be done via SMS.
List of nominees:
Best Video
- Tay Grin feat 2Baba – ‘Chipapapa’
- Zani Challe feat Patorankin – ‘Single for Tonight’
- Malinga Mafia featuring Various – ‘Levels’
- Dan Lu featuring K-Ci – ‘Sweet Banana’
Best Single
- ‘Mdidi’ – Faith Mussa
- ‘Kanda’ – Tay Grin feat Sonye
- ‘Mwini Zinthu’ – Blaze feat Ril B
- ‘Single for Tonight’ – Zani Challe
Best Live Act
- Tay Grin
- Theo Thompson
- Black Missionaries
- Faith Mussa
Best Club DJ
- Nathan Tunes
- DJ Flame
- DJ Ruebie
- DJ Maya
Best Radio DJ
- Randy Martins
- Kenny Klips
- Joy Nathu
- Panther Rix
Best Duo/Group
- Black Missionaries
- Great Angels Choir
- Street fame
- Home Grown
Best Afro-pop
- Piksy
- Dan Lu
- Sir Patricks
- Hilco
Best Female Artist
- Zani Challe
- Bianca
- Sangie
- Miracle Chinga
Best Male Artist
- Tay Grin
- Patience Namadingo
- Theo Thompson
- Gwamba
Best Acoustic Artist
- Patience Namadingo
- Malala
- Faith Mussa
- Agorosso
Best Producer
- BFB
- DJ Sley
- Sonye
- Dare Devils
Best Secular Artist
- Lucius Banda
- Skeffa Chimoto
- Lulu
- Smacks
Best Reggae Artist
- Stitch Fray
- Anthony Makondetsa
- Trumale
- King Chambiecco
Best New Comer
- Purple C
- Charisma
- Tsar Leo
- Ril B
Best Gospel Artist
- Faith Mussa
- Suffix
- Gwamba
- Patience Namadingo
Best R&B Artist
- Kelvin Sings
- Bucci
- Kel Kay
- Theo Thompson
Best Hip Hop Artist
Album of the Year
- Phyzix – Captain Long John
- Theo Thompson – White Elephant
- Gwamba – Jesus is My Boss
- Malinga Mafia – Flawless Heart
- Barry One – Maso Atseguka
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