MTV Networks Africa announced its very own MTV Africa Music Awards event Tuesday.
International stars Alicia Keys, Rihanna, and Akon were among those nominated for the awards which are slated to take place Nov. 22 at The Velodrome, Abuja.
The nominations for the inaugural pan-African music awards ceremony
were revealed at a VIP soirée at Planet One, Lagos, Nigeria by Alex
Okosi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, MTV Networks Africa
and Norman Moyo, Chief Marketing Officer, Zain Nigeria, in the presence
of nominees D’Banj, Wahu, DJ Cleo and Naeto C.
Selected by an independent voting
‘academy’ of 150 music professionals and opinion formers from 30
countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the nominations for the MTV Africa
Music Awards with Zain showcase the wealth of musical talent that
Africa has to offer, and provide the ultimate vehicle for young
Africans to salute the African and international artists that rock
their worlds.
Heading the nominee list with 5 ‘nods’ from the MAMA nominations
academy are Nigerian R&B duo P-Square (Best Group, Best Live
Performer, Best R&B, Best Video and Artist of the Year), closely
followed by triple nominees D’Banj (Nigeria) and HHP (South Africa),
who go head-to-head in the Best Male and Artist of the Year categories.
Wahu (Kenya) and Asa (Nigeria) share the honours as the most nominated
female artists with two nominations each for Wahu (Best New Act, Best
Female) and Asa (Best Female, Artist of the Year).
Topping the country roll of honour with 18 individual nominations is
South Africa, closely followed by Nigeria (16 nominations).
Kenyan
artists scored three nominations: Jua Cali for Best Male and Wahu for
Best New Act & Best Female.
Ghanaian artists were recognised in two
categories: Best Live Performance (Samini) and Best New Act (Kwaw
Kese), while Mozambique, Gabon, Tanzania and Uganda all scored one
nominee with recognition for Professor Jay (Tanzania), East Africa
Bashment Crew (Uganda), Movaizhaleine (Gabon) and Dama do Bling
(Mozambique).
US, and European artists are represented in three categories with nods
to Akon, Rihanna and Alicia Keys for Best R&B, while rappers The
Game and Lil Wayne both feature in Best Hip Hop.
Prominent in the Best
Alternative category are British rockers Coldplay, competing against,
Buraka Som Sistema (Portugal) and a trio of South African contenders:
Goldfish, The Parlotones and Seether.
To vote for your favourite artist or video, please go to mama.mtvbase.com.
Music fans with WAP/GPRS enabled phones may also vote at
m.mama.mtvbase.com (standard internet charges apply). Voting closes on
Tuesday 18 November 2008.
Join In: Follow Singersroom on Twitter by clicking HERE.