SkyzMetro Music Awards growing bigger each year

ON THE 21st of December 2018 I attended the SkyzMetro Music Awards at the Large City Hall. It was a big day for Bulawayo musicians — more so as awards have become a popular part of the arts sector.

I must say I was rather disappointed getting to the venue and seeing very few people dressed up for the occasion. Awards are always associated with glitz and glamour — they are mostly a fashion event.

So there I was with some friends, looking around and not seeing what I expected to see. It was only later, when the awards ceremony was halfway through that it hit me like a brick on the face that the objectives of the awards were not what I thought.

SkyzMetro awards are not about celebrity statuses, glitz and glamour. They are actually a different kind of awards.

The awards are meant for SkyzMetro listeners to come and meet the people they hear on radio everyday — radio personalities and musicians. And to be honest ordinary people do not normally dress up for parties — they do party.

All out. Which was what the awards were — a huge party that banged and banged till the wee hours of the morning. Also this is the day the radio station celebrates itself as the voice of the voiceless.

Like any other shows or big events that happened this year there were hits and misses. More hits than misses. For me the best moment was the awarding of best contribution to music given to the late Joe Maseko.

The music producer passed on this year after a short illness. Though he had produced several hits and worked with some of Bulawayo’s best known artistes Joe Maseko had avoided the limelight and consequently had been ignored by a lot of awards.

However, SkyzMetro corrected that and honoured him. Sceptics would say why when he is gone? Why didn’t you give him his roses when he could smell them? I personally believe in better late than never.

Another talking point for me was the awards’ obvious attempt to create new heroes and new celebrities.

Quite a number of new names were nominated with the likes of Seargirl walking away with two big awards on the night and being crowned Female Artiste of the Year. For SkyzMetro this was a brave direction. The creation of a new course.

Having realised that this was not your usual awards ceremony but a huge party for SkyzMetro listeners Babongile Sikhonjwa as always brought the house down with his set that featured golden hits from yesteryears. He had the whole Large City Hall on its feet and dancing. Sikhonjwa is a natural. I think his best asset is his passion and love of his craft. He enjoys his set before the crowds enjoys it. And I think that is what separates him from many others.

My obvious misses were three. First the performances that came on stage looked unrehearsed.

Moreso the backing dance group had one costume that was totally out of sync with most of the performances they were trying to back.

Then there was that Ezra Sibanda moment on stage. Ezra should have been given a script and a time limit. Full stop.

If that had been done no one would have booed him. Unfortunately, he was given too much rope and he ended up tying himself with it.

My third miss of the night was seeing one of the sponsors walk on stage with their gifts and prizes, only to be told the winners who were supposed to get the prizes had already gone home.

Now you don’t want that to happen to a partner or event sponsor. But apart from these I think the awards were bigger.

A bigger crowd than last year’s graced the occasion. The event was much alive, lit to use social media lingo.

And it keeps growing.