N’Soki, Pérola and Matias Damásio share honours at Angolan awards

Over 4000 lovers of the Angolan music attended this year’s fourth edition of ceremony, during which 21 trophies were handed out to Angola’s top performers over the past year.

The big winners of the night were Matias Damásio, N'Soki and Pérola, who each won two trophies.

Damásio won the prestigious categories of Best Album (for Por Amor) and Song of the Year (for ‘Agi Sem Pensar’ ).

Pérola was named Best Female Artist and also won in the Best Popular Music category for ‘Ma Weya Ué’. She had earlier led the nominations with nine nods. Her fellow favourites C4 Pedro and Yuri da Cunha, who also went into the awards with nine nominations apiece, left with only one trophy each - C4 Pedro was named Best Male Artist while Yuri Da Cunha won Best Kizomba for ‘Gago’.

N'soki meanwhile took home the Best Afro-Jazz / World Music trophy for her single ‘Vai-Te Embora’ (go away), as well as the Best Video award for ‘My Treasure’.

There were no awards for last year’s big winner Yola Semedo, who picked up four trophies in 2015.

Evidence of the international appeal of Angolan music, the event was broadcast live on Angolan TV and repeated in the following days in Africa’s other Portuguese-speaking countries - Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Sao Tome & Principe – as well as in Portugal.

The 2016 Angola Music Award winners are as follows:

• Album of the Year: Por Amor - Matias Damásio
• Best Female Artist: Pérola
• Best Male Artist: C4 Pedro
• Best New Artist: Bass
• Best Group of the Year: Afrikanas
• Best Afro-House: ‘Kapri’ - Os Banah
• Best Afro-Jazz/World Music: ‘Vai-Te Embora’ - N'Soki
• Best Gospel: ‘Ele É Fogo’ - Irmã Nádia Mayembe
• Best Kizomba: ‘Gago’ - Yuri Da Cunha
• Best Kuduro: ‘Só Mexeram No Meu Prato’ - Elenco Da Paz
• Best Pop Music : ‘Ma Weya Ué’ - Pérola
• Best Producer: Nelo Carvalho
• Best R&B/Soul: ‘Selfie’ - Mona Nicastro
• Best Rap/Hip-Hop: ‘Rádio’ - Prodígio
• Best Semba: ‘Diala Diame’ - Eddy Tussa
• Best Music Vídeo: ‘My Treasure’ - N'Soki
• Best DJ: DJ Paulo Alves
• Song of the Year: ‘Agi Sem Pensar’ - Matias Damásio
• Live show of the Year: Entre 7 E 7 Rosas (CCB) – Kyaku Kyadaff
• Best Digital: Vlado Coast
• Most popular artist on the internet: Dizzy Diddy