Stars curate Apple Music playlists ahead of South African awards

The news comes ahead of this year's SAMAs, which move for the first time to the coastal city of Durban, where it will take place at the city’s International Convention Centre (ICC) on Saturday 4 June.

SAMA-winning group Mafikizolo, media darling Bonang Matheba, rapper Da L.E.S, last year’s four-time SAMA winner DJ Clock, former Destiny Man editor Kojo Baffoe (now an in-demand public speaker), Afrikaans rockers Francois van Coke and Die Heuwels Fantasties and double SAMA nominees Desmond and the Tutus, among many others, have each curated a playlist of their favourite 22 homegrown tracks to share with the nation.

These exclusive playlists are available to stream or download through Apple Music via the SAMA 22 curator page. Listen to these playlists on Apple Music today and get grooving to some classic South African tunes.

SAMA boss Refiloe Ramogase said: “Music forms the soundtrack to our everyday lives – it accompanies our defining moments. As South Africans, I think we don’t always appreciate quite how far we’ve come as a nation musically, and how much we owe to both pioneers and the current trailblazers. There’s such a rich repository of South African music playing on constant rotation in our heads that we thought it only fit for SAMA 22 to pay tribute to this incredible music legacy, while we look forward to saluting the latest crop of industry stars and future legends on 4 June at Durban ICC!"

Tracks by this year’s SAMA recently announced nominees, including Amstel Record of the Year nominees, are available for download from the same Apple Music channel, while music fans will be able to find more news and exclusive content there on the night itself.

If you are not yet an Apple Music subscriber, the service is available now for a free, three-month trial here. For more background on the platform in Africa, read here. For more on music platforms in general on the continent, see our special feature on 10 African music streaming platforms you need to know.

Tickets for this year’s SAMAs are available now at Computicket for R350 ($24). The star-studded ceremony, packed with electrifying live performances and collaborations by the nominees, will be broadcast live on SABC1 from 8pm on 4 June.