Nominees announced for second Music Malawi Awards

The list of nominees follows submissions of best acts by various players in the local music industry that included journalists, complimented by a dedicated team of seven judges who were appointed to oversee the process, and MUM. The nominees are:

• Best New Artist: Adrian Kwelepeta, Flo- Dee, Bingo Lingo, Sangie, Mada Ngoleka
• Best Neo Traditional Artist: Agorosso, Katelele Ching'oma, Edgar and Davis, Gides Chalamanda, Moses Makawa
• Best Dancehall Artist: Blasto, Black Jack, NesNes, King Chimbiecco, Nyasa Queens
• Contemporary Afro Pop Artist: Lucius Banda, Gwamba, Skeffa Chimoto, Piksy, Dan Lu
• Best Gospel Artist (Male): King James Phiri, Lloyid, Thoko Katimba, Evance Mereka, Allan Chirwa.
• Best Gospel Artist (Female): Princes Chitsulo, Favoured Martha, Gloria Manong'a, Ethel Kamwendo Banda, Mada Ngoleka
• Best R&B Artist: Bucci, Sonye, Theo Thomson, Dan Kalima, Ryhthm and Beyond
• Best Reggae Artist: Trumel, Black Missionaries, Anthony Makondetsa, Sally Nyundo, Soul Raiders
• Best Hip Hop/Rap Artist: Gwamba, K2B Block, Dominant 1, Tay Grin, Physics
• Best Acoustic/Jazz Artist: Lawi, Agorosso, Anko Layi, Mawanga & Amaravi Movement, Alinafe Jimu 
• Best Male Artist: Skeffa Chimoto, Lawi, Lulu, Dan Lu, Katelele Ching'oma, 
• Best Female Artist: Ethel Kamwendo Banda, Stella Mwanza, Aycee James, Princess Chitsulo, Favoured Martha
• Best Band: Lusubilo Band, Zembani Band, Black Missionaries, Mizu Band, Marimba Band
• Best Gospel Group: Kamuzu Barracks, Ndirande Anglican Voices, Great Angels Choir, Marvellous Deeds, Kafita CCAP Nursery Choir
• Song of the Year: ‘Mwasintha Nyengo Yanga’ (Thoko Katimba), ‘Amaona Kuchedwa’ (Lawi), ‘Ndidzalera’ (Lulu), ‘Ndidzayimbabe’ (Princess Chitsulo), ‘Mukumane Ndi Moyo Wanga’ (King James Phiri)

To vote for your favourite artists for 2014, send an SMS with the keyword to 58411. For example, to vote for Adrian Kwelepeta in the Best New Artist category send “bn1” to 58411. Each SMS costs K25 only. The voting starts at 06.00 hours on Thursday 12 2015. Note: This is for Airtel subscribers only.

A full list of nominees and the voting codes can be accessed on the MUMA facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/mumaawards and the website http://mumaawards.tumblr.com

The second edition of the MUMA Awards will be held at the Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe on Friday 27 February 2015.        

Inaugurated in 2014 as the Musicians Association of Malawi Music Awards (MAMMA), the awards have since been rebranded and the name changed to Music Malawi (MUMA) Awards to reflect the overall mission and vision of the awards. Despite this change, the organisers promise to keep the awards as a premier outlet for honoring achievements in the local music industry and supporting local musicians to realize their full potential and dreams.

The mission for the MUMA Awards is to positively impact on the growth of the local music industry through recognizing, encouraging, nurturing and supporting overall professional excellence and the best of Malawi’s local music talent.