THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS FOR THE MAMA
“ROAD TO MAMA DURBAN”
Durban, 23 April 2014: As the countdown begins for the 2014 MTV Africa Music (MAMA) Awards, an all-star line-up of Durban’s hottest MAMA nominees and DJs are headlining the first Road To MAMA party (Durban, 30 April). The pan-African party tour, criss-crossing the continent in the build up to the MAMA awards on 7 June, kicks off in Durban before heading onto Dar es Salaam and Lagos.
Road To MAMA Durban will take place at the Veritas cocktail bar, lounge and niteclub (formerly Vogue), 672 Umgeni Road, Durban. Doors open at 21:00 CAT. Tickets are available on the door at Veritas, priced at ZAR 100.
Leading the line-up at the Road To MAMA Durban will be Best Group nominees Big Nuz, while Zakes Bantwini will be showing off the energy that earned him a nomination for Best Live Act. Flying in from Jo’burg to pump up the party vibe will be triple MAMA nominees Mi Casa – who have been nominated for Best Group, Song of the Year & Artist of the Year. Durban pop duo The Arrows – who are nominated in Song of the Year category for “Spin My World Around” with DJ Kent, and hip hop trio Dreamteam, round out the stunning line-up for the gig.
Hitting the decks South African Best Female nominee DJ C’ndo will be showing off her turntable skills alongside MTV Base “Mixology” DJs Tira and Vigilante; and Durban faithfuls DJ Benny Maverick and DJ Feel.
The MTV Africa Music Awards are taking place in South Africa for the first time at the ICC, Durban on 7 June 2014. Nominations for the awards were revealed on 16 April in 15 different categories including Best Male, Best Female, Song of the Year and Artist of the Year. Tied for first place in the nominations for the 2014 MAMA are South African artists Mafikizolo and Uhuru, and Nigerian artist Davido, who each scored 4 nominations while going directly head-to-head for Song of the Year, Artist of the Year and Best Collaboration. Following closely behind with 3 nominations each were Nigerian artists P Square (Best Group, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year), South Africa’s Mi Casa (Best Group,Artist of the Year, Song of the Year), and Angolan artist Yuri Da Cunha (Song of the Year, Best Lusophone and Best Collaboration). Hot on their heels with two nods each are Angolan star Anselmo Ralph (Best Male, Best Lusophone), Nigeria’s Wizkid (Best Male, Best Collaboration); Gabonese artist Arielle T (Best Female, Best Francophone) and Diamond from Tanzania (Best Male, Best Collaboration). To download a full list of nominees click here.
Broadening the scope of the MAMA awards in 2014, achievement in non-music fields is recognised in three “lifestyle” categories including “Personality of the Year”, “Transform Today by Absolut”, and the “MTV Base Leadership Award”. The “MTV Base Leadership Award” is awarded to a young African man or woman under the age of 40 who is inspiring young Africans by their leadership and extraordinary achievement in a prominent field (including but not limited to: the arts, business, politics, science, entrepreneurship and charitable work). “Personality of the Year” recognises personalities and achievers active outside of the music space who are excelling in their chosen field and who are representing Africa in a positive light, both at home and abroad, in disciplines such as comedy, fashion literature and sport. “Transform Today by Absolut“, which forms part of ABSOLUT‘s Transform Today campaign, is aimed at celebrating the power of young individuals who transform the image of Africa through their creativity and vision.
The MTV Africa Music Awards KwaZulu-Natal supported by Absolut & The City of Durban will premiere live across the continent at 21:00 CAT on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and MTV (DStv Channel 130), and subsequently broadcast around the world to 500 billion music fans worldwide on MTV and affiliate channels.
Celebrating musicians and achievers who have made the most impact on African youth culture throughout the year, MAMA2014 will feature dazzling performances from African and international artists, including the awards’ signature collaborations between artists of different genres and cultures – a high point of every show.
Voting for the MTV Africa Music Awards is open at www.mtvbase.com from 16 April 2014 until midnight on 4 June 2014.
To join the conversation about the awards use the hashtag #MTVMAMA.
