The South African flag is rising higher every year as South African talents make it commonplace to shine brighter on international stages. The trio Zakes Bantwini, Nomcebo Zikode, and Wouter Kellerman, had a big night at the Grammys after winning the top prize for their freshly released song at the same ceremony that was hosted by SA’s very own. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, Zake Bantwini’s song “Bayethe,” which features Nomcebo Zikode and flutist Wouter Kellerman, won the Best Global Music Performance prize. Afro-pop, Maskandi, and dance music are all mixed together in the single, which was released in 2022.
The three South African artists took the award over artists from Nigeria, Burna Boy, Uganda, Eddy Kenzo, the United States, Matt B, Ghana, Rocky Dawuni, and Pakistan, Arooj Aftab. The 65th Grammy Awards, which were hosted by Trevor Noah, took place in Los Angeles, California. The trio’s victory follows closely on the heels of DJ Black Coffee’s Grammy victory in the Best Dance Electronic Category last year.
Zakes Bantwini said in his acceptance speech. “…This moment right here just proves and affirms that every dream is valid. I want to thank the academy. I just want to say to every child in a ghetto or village that it is possible.”
Zikode, who looked gorgeous in a beaded dress and her famous hair cut said: “Thank you so much to God. I once gave the world a song that took the world by storm, the world that got us together. But I did not get this nomination or this award. But God was saying ‘don’t worry my daughter I will give you Bayete’. Thank you so much to my mother and my husband. Your support is amazing.” She sang the internationally recognized hit song, Jerusalema, just before she gave her acceptance speech.
Wouter, who is no stranger to the Grammys received a Grammy for his album, “Winds of Samsara”, in 2014 and was nominated for Grammys in both 2015 and 2021. Beaming with pride, he walked down the stage to accept the award and said, ‘Thank you so much. This is such a beautiful moment. On the road to sharing South African culture with the world, thank you Nomcebo, thank Zakes for your incredible creativity, and thanks to all the musicians that work on the album.’
It all began in August 2021 when he performed a song called “Osama” at a gathering called Kunye. The song’s release was accelerated a few weeks later after a video of him performing it live for the first time at the event went viral on social media and received millions of views online. The song would later make its official Radio Monitor South Africa chart debut at number one, holding that position for a record-breaking ten weeks straight.
Shortly after, his platinum-selling collaboration with Karyendasoul and Nana Atta, “iMali,” brought him immediate success once more. Since then, Bantwini has broken his SAMAs duck by winning prizes for Best Collaboration, Highest Airplay, the GQ Award for Musician of the Year, and the South African Social Media Award for Most Popular Song on South African Social Media. He recently added the largest prize of them all to his expanding trophy case. Next, Bantwini will organize the Abantu Festival in Cape Town’s DHL Stadium as he concludes his musical career with the release of his final album, also titled “Abantu.”
What are Grammy awards?
Grammy awards are most esteemed music award events amongst the music fraternity. The Recording Academy presents the GRAMMY Awards, which honor musicians of all ages and genres. In 1958, the first Gramophone Awards now known as the GRAMMY Awards were presented. The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, and The Emmy Awards at the time both honored the top performers in film and television, but there was no equivalent award for music at the time. The GRAMMY Awards were established in order to recognize the most outstanding composers, songwriters, and performers in the music industry after the Hollywood Walk of Fame project, which got underway in the 1950s.
Numerous awards are given out annually in various categories. The most well-known musicians frequently receive awards on television, but there are actually many more that are not broadcast live. As more categories have been added and some have been retired, the number of categories and GRAMMYs awarded each year has changed. There were 84 categories offered in 2019, compared to just 28 in the very first GRAMMY Awards ceremony.
See congratulatory messages from other celebrities below:
ZAKES BANTWINI JUST WON A GRAMMY! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭🇿🇦
— Lasizwe (@lasizwe) February 6, 2023
SA didn't appreciate Zakes Bantwini when he had Osama as arguably, or strong contender of #SOTY
Now that the world recorgnised him, and won his first #GRAMMYs
you cry foul🤡
Congrats Madida❤Chris Brown Burna Boy God Did Nomcebo Zikode Damn Quavo Black Coffee Pusha Last Last pic.twitter.com/tXUxRcZBCU
— YaseBlock B 🇸🇿 (@ThisIsColbert) February 6, 2023
Dreams delayed are not dreams denied – Zakes Bantwini, Grammy winning South African Artist & Music Producer 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/Oqqzkcyzct
— MALUME ZANO (@ZanoUrban) February 6, 2023
Taking to social media, Zakes expresses gratitude, saying after 15 years of being a musician, he won a prestigious award.“Took me 15 years to find my path, I stayed true to myself & my dreams, despite all the hardships that presented themselves. I have no words to express the emotions and grace that have come over me. This moment is owed to my late Mother & Father. Your efforts, sacrifices & lessons you handed down brought out the very best in me. I’m grateful,” he wrote.Nomcebo wrote, “Look at God!!! From Hammarsdale to the world! I never imagined that God would take me to such heights and platforms! I want to give a special shoutout to @wouterkellerman, @tholsi_pillay, @zakesbantwini, and @sibo_the_zulu @fraserselwyn for thinking of me when putting this record together, we did it!”
Also Read:Zakes Bantwini Biography
