Nominations revealed for Wawela Music Awards

Now in its third year, the WMAs remain the only event in the country to recognise South Africa’s songwriting and composing talent. Tiyani Maluleke, SAMRO’s Marketing General Manager, says what sets the Wawela Music Awards apart from other awards in South Africa is the fact that they acknowledge the people behind the music. “We felt it was important to acknowledge and celebrate the talented songwriters and composers of this country,” she said. “Some of them are not necessarily performers - they write music for film, television and advertising, meaning they sometimes go unnoticed.”

The 2015 nominees were selected through an extensive, audited process adjudicated by individuals drawn from various parts of the South African music industry. Maluleke said there is a huge amount of creative talent in South Africa and the adjudication process was therefore not an easy one. “We would like to extend hearty congratulations to all our nominees this year,” she said. “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.

“We look forward to seeing numerous composers and authors of music recognised for their excellent contribution to South Africa’s music repertoire,” added Maluleke. “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.”

The WMAs are not only aimed to showcase music 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 winners Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Mbongeni Ngema and Lebo M, as well as Oscar-winning film score composer Trevor Jones. The 2015 Wawela Music Award winners will be announced during a ceremony on 26 June.  

The full list of nominees is as follows:

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
• 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
• Mike McCully

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