THE South African Music Awards (Samas) have pulled a shocker.
The biggest music awards are moving from the North West where they've been held for years, to KZN for the next three years.
The big announcement was made on Tuesday, 3 October, where they were announcing the nominees for this year's awards.
The event will be held at the Durban ICC on 17 and 18 November 2023.
Late rapper AKA is leading the pack with six nominations for Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Engineered Album, Best Collaboration (for the single Lemons (Lemonade) featuring Nasty C), Best Collaboration (for the single Company featuring Kiddominant), and Best Produced Music Video (for Lemons (Lemonade) featuring Nasty C.
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K.O follows with five nominations as he is nodded in the categories of Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Collaboration, Best Produced Music Video and Remix of the Year for Sete featuring Young Stunna, Oxlade and Diamond Platnumz.
The Male Artist of the Year nominees are Kabza De Small, AKA, Sjava, K.O and Lloyiso.
While Female Artist of the Year nominees are Kelly Khumalo, Ntokozo Mbambo, Sincerely Anne, Hle, as well as Thandi Ntuli.
DJ Maphorisa and Visca, Venom and Shishiliza, Mafikizolo, DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small, and Msaki and Tubatsi – Synthetic Hearts are up for Duo/Group of the Year.
The nominees for Best Amapiano Album are Kelvin Momo for Amukelani, DJ Maphorisa and Visca for Ba Straata, Myztro for 2.0 Nkwari, Kabza De Small for KOA II Part 1, and DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small.
Speaking about the nominees, Dichaba Phalatse, marketing manager of SABC Video Entertainment said: “South African music plays a major role and as SABC1, we always want to make sure that local music is celebrated.
"The channel's partnership with the South African Music Awards shows our commitment in supporting the legacy of local artists as they continue to produce music of all genres for South Africans to enjoy. Congratulations to all the SAMA29 nominees.”
RiSA CEO Nhlanhla Sibisi congratulated the nominees.
“We're proud to present the class of SAMA29 who, over a 14-month period, put out some of the best tunes, collaborations and music videos in the country. We commend their artistry, resilience and tenacity that have led to them rising to the top and positioning themselves to be in line for the highest music accolade South Africa can bestow on an artist. We wish them well as we embark on the road to SAMA29 in KwaZulu-Natal," he said.
