L'wei is SAMA nominee!

     Music

A musician from Vhembe, L'wei Netshivhale, earned himself a nomination in the 22nd Annual South African Music Awards (SAMA) for his debut album Mudzimu Washu.

A resident of Dzwerani village in Lwamondo, he has been nominated in the Best African Adult category. “Being nominated for SAMA has come to me as a milestone that means a lot, not only to me, but the listeners of my music and those who supported my music,” he said.

L'wei released Mudzimu Washu, in January 2015. He said that the inspiration for his music came from his growing up in the royal family. “I combine a collection of Tshivenda indigenous chant music, fused with a jazz sound, full with meaning, often referencing African jazz sounds,” he said.

“It will always be that one achievement that adds a weight to my name and the music I make,” he said. “I think it is every musician’s dream to make the kind of music that earns them a nomination. I really cannot put in actual words how blessed I feel about the nomination. This means being chosen among thousands and thousands of South African artists and be put on the last five.”

He said that he liked the idea that music saw no borders. “If people can just accept the role music plays in our lives, then we will live in peace and achieve some happiness,” he said. “If someone, somewhere, can just listen to the sound of music I make and feel they have been positively inspired then I have achieved my goal as an artist.”

L'wei is the kind of an artist who fuses a traditional style of music with modern sounds and style. In one of his many shows, he left the audience in awe after he featured Tshikonaduring his live performance. “The audiences were blown away by such a never-seen-before act,” he said. “After the xenophobic attacks in 2014, I released a single entitled Rima Afrika Rothe (We are all Africans). It is a thought-provoking song that speaks and condemns the xenophobic attacks by especially our South African people. I included this song in my live show, featuring an artist from Ghana.”

In the Best African Adult Album category, L'wei had been pitted against Dizu Plaatjies & Friends (Ubuntu – The Common String), Kabomo (Sekusile), Thiwe (Soul Therapy), and Jessica Mbangeni (Busisiwe – Tribute to the African Heroines).

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Entertainment - Date: 06 May 2016

Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

Email: [email protected]