Public votes Nathi’s ‘Nomvula’ as SABC’s Song of the Year
FOR years it has been a significant past time for many a South African family during the festive season. The almost-ritual of families gathering around their radio on New Year’s Eve to hear which song will be played at midnight.
That song, of course, was always regarded as the song that was the best of the previous year and it was then fitting to have it usher in a new year. Because this is a tradition on radio stations such as Ikwekwezi and Ukhozi, mostly, the SABC saw it appropriate to run a competition where listeners would have to vote for the song they believe was the hit of the year.
Called the SABC Summer Song of the Year 2015/16 campaign, the winning listener and winning artist were honoured at a ceremony that was held in Joburg last week. The host with the most was Metro FM DJ, Pearl Modiadie, who shared her childhood experience of trying, together with her family, to guess which would be the Song of the Year.
This idea could’ve just stayed as a chance for families to bond over music, but the SABC decided to turn it into a campaign. They did this because, according to a press release, the campaign is “about seeking out and awarding a song that has no boundaries. It can be any genre or style, secular or spiritual”.
“This is, plainly, the most popular song of the year. It is a kind of unofficial national anthem, a song that explodes infectiously out of people’s cars, taverns, taxis and homes. It rings in every ear, even after the speakers have gone quiet. Children and their minders everywhere sing it out loud because it is so popular. This is a hit.”
At the event, the SABC’s own Kaiser Kganyago echoed these sentiments.
He said: “Even if every radio station has their own Song of the Year, which one can be the SABC Song of the Year? And then, when ten past midnight came, all of our radio stations were playing one particular song.”
Current Afro-pop darling, Nathi, scooped the Song of the Year title with his monster hit, Nomvula. Artists like Prince Kaybee and Heavy K as well as Durban Nyts were also honoured. But it was Nathi who walked away with R150 000 cash and a brand-new vehicle from Kia.
The listeners were asked to vote via SMS and 56-year-old Jabulani Thomas Mabena was the winner who also took home a Kia car. The blind man from Mpumalanga was selected as the winner by Ikwekwezi FM, which was also broadcasting from the event.
Nathi performed the Song of the Year to a crowd that was ready with their cellphones and iPads to capture each moment. And then he started to perform the house version of the song and down came the devices. Perhaps people prefer the original.
Arthur and his 999 crew that includes vocal powerhouse and newbie, Cici, as well as Ishmael, performed Summa Ya Masumma, which was also one of the Top 10 contenders for the prize in this campaign. It’s still early days, but which song do you think has the potential to be the song of 2016 so far?