Nominees Give Channel O Kudos For Awards Career Boost

By Nomphelo "Lelo" Ndzimela , 09 Sep 2009

Channel O Awards: Boosting CareersNominees in the upcoming 2009 Channel O Music Video Awards have given the Original.African channel kudos for the career boost afforded by the awards.

DAREY (Dare Art-Alade), who is up for Most Gifted Male and Most Gifted R&B for ‘Not The Girl, says “not many media organisations around the continent are as consistent as Channel O in giving the African youth a platform and a voice”. “The awards represent the belief we have that Africa will surely rise and regain its glory of old,” the Nigerian adds.

The role played by the Channel O Music Video Awards in raising Africa’s collective flag is also something Kalibrados pay tribute to. The Angolan group is up for the Most Gifted Duo or Group Video Award for ““Bam Bri Bam”, and say the nomination “proves to us that music really has no boundaries and that African power, sound and soul are stronger than ever”.

“…that shows that Channel O is the number one channel in Africa and keeps getting better and better”

Paulino YQ, who is in the running for Most Gifted Ragga Dancehall Video with the song “Shake It On Me”, has also received a boost from the nomination. “It is an encouragement to do more and to reach even higher and the nomination has inspired me as an artist even more,” the singer comments.

Paulino’s sentiments are echoed by South Africa’s Teargas whose “Take You Out” got a nod in the Most Gifted Southern African Video category. “We are proud of the hard work that we put out and there’s always a positive impact on us when our work is recognised as some of the best. We will keep pushing as hard as we can because this nomination means a great deal to us as artists,” the group says.

Teargas’s fellow South Africans are just as positive. RJ Benjamin – whose collaboration with Master Jam “Change The World – Dr. Duda Mix” is in the running for Most Gifted Dance Video – says being nominated means “we not only achieved our goal of making a song that inspires people to Change The World and make a difference but we also got people on the dance floors!” Meanwhile, Goldfish’s Dominic Peters, describes the duo as being “super-stoked” to be nominated for Most Gifted Dance Video for “This Is How It Goes”.

XOD who is nominated for Most Gifted Newcomer and Most Gifted Male, to name a few, gives the awards’ “Young, Gifted and African” theme kudos for “boosting African art and its people”. Taygrin, who is in the running for Most Gifted African Southern Video (for “Moto” with Wendy Harawa) and the highly coveted Most Gifted Amarula Video of the Year Award, says the Channel O Music Awards and the channel itself have helped his career. “Channel O has supported my music from the start and played a major role in establishing my name across Africa …I would like to commend Channel O for the awards which are helping to develop Africa’s musical identity,” the Malawian artist says.

Other nominees are as positive with Nigeria’s The Dream – up for Most Gifted Newcomer with “Plenty, Plenty” – describing winning a Channel O Music Video Award as “the dream of every artist in Nigeria. I grew up in the industry knowing that there is only one award every young gifted or superstar artist in Nigeria or Africa is dreaming to win – and that is a Channel O Music Video Award.”

Namibian Damara Dik Ding is up for Most Gifted Kwaito Video for “Bakuten” and he credits the Channel O Music Video Awards as being an awards event that “has a heart for African talent”. “I hope this nomination will help me fight and eradicate poverty and encourage African artists to step up to the corporate ladder.” Fellow Namibians Gal Level (up for “Most Gifted Afro Pop Video” for “Touch Me”) say even just a nomination contributes to promoting careers. “We are very optimistic about winning the award this year,” they say. Kalaharians – up for Most Gifted Ragga Dancehall Video for “Work The Middle” – add, “It (the nomination) is a milestone in our musical career; we have been pushing the dancehall genre in Namibia and to us the nomination is a sign of success and appreciation for our work. Salute to Channel O for promoting African music!”

The final word goes to Lizha James whose “Estilo Xakhale” is nominated for Most Gifted Female Video as well as Best African Southern: “Every year I see more musicians running to be on Channel O, to have their music played and to be among the nominees – that shows that Channel O is the number one channel in Africa and keeps getting better and better.”

The 2009 Channel O Music Video Awards, brought to you by Amarula Cream take place at Carnival City in Gauteng on 29 October. They will be presented by Nonhle, Lungile and KB and feature some hot live performances from several of the continent’s biggest stars.

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