Glynis O’Hara
A RECORD number of entries – over 600 – has=20 been received for the third annual FNB=20 South African Music Awards, an increase of=20 about 40% over last year.
That’s because there’s been much more=20 recording activity this year, says Penny=20 Stein, PR for the awards. “It’s also=20 because there are two new categories, Best=20 Duo/Group and Best Maskandi Performance, as=20 well as four new awards in the Best=20 Traditional Category, which now has a total=20 of 10,” she added.=20
Last year Vicky Sampson swept the board=20 with two statuettes – for Best Female=20 Vocalist and Best Pop Album. A third, for=20 the video of her song, African Dream, went=20 to director Mark Engels. The year before,=20 the Soweto String Quartet took three – Best=20 New Artist, Best Instrumental Performance=20 and Best Pop Album.
Judging for 1996’s output is under way at=20 the moment – 160 industry and media people=20 are involved – and the final nominations=20 will be announced on March 20. The actual=20 ceremony takes place on April 26 at the=20 Civic Theatre, Johannesburg. Recordings=20 must have taken place between January 1=20 1996 and December 31 1996 to qualify.
There has been an enormous amount of effort=20 put into re-assessing and reforming the=20 awards, resulting in the increase in=20 categories as well as refinements in the=20 rules. One of the problems last year was=20 that entries were sometimes made in the=20 wrong categories. For example, judges found=20 themselves assessing a rap record entered=20 in the jazz section. To avoid this kind of=20 anomaly, a panel of 18 people spent three=20 days vetting the entries on January 2, 3=20 and 4 before they were issued to the=20 judges, says Stein.
Entrants do not have to be South African,=20 artists from Lesotho, Swaziland and=20 Botswana are included under the umbrella of=20 the awards. International collaborations=20 must have South Africans as star or equal=20 billing, an important point as more and=20 more musicians find work overseas. Just=20 such a case is Lebo , a South African=20 working in Los Angeles, whose music for The=20 Lion King won 5 shared Oscars, and who won=20 the Sama Award for Best Male Vocalist last=20 year.