In 2023, Nando’s is firing up a new category at the Basadi in Music Awards (BIMA) – the Nando’s Emerging Artist of the Year.
The five finalists for the award have been selected by Nando’s music partner, Bridges For Music, and voting is open for the public to play their part in selecting the winner, who will walk away with a music bursary at Bridges Academy valued at R100 000, as well as a year of mentorship from South African music icon, Msaki. To give media and VIP guests a taste of the talent on offer, Nando’s hosted a music showcase on 14 July at Flame Studios at Constitution Hill, featuring all five finalists and Msaki.
Here are the five finalists:
Black Villain
Black Villain describes herself as a DJ, producer, vocalist and lover of music. As a DJ, she plays deep house, funk, disco and soulful house music, with elements of blues and songs from the 70s and 80s.
This love of music stems from her love of dance.
“I was a dancer growing up and then I fell in love with theatre. I thought I would go into theatre before I had considered being a producer or DJ,” she says.
“I was one of the dancers at the Confederations Cup and seeing all the amazing artists performing there inspired me to get into music. At home, we all used to listen to the radio and I started thinking about being a radio DJ. In 2015, I started DJing, but then I took a two-year break after having my daughter. In 2018, I went back to music and I haven’t stopped since then. I have learnt so much from it.”
BUZZI Lee
BUZZI Lee is a creative and rapper. Her style is trap, hip-hop and hood-inspired music.
She has always loved music and was inspired to pursue a career in it when she discovered she could use her own thoughts and experiences to heal herself and celebrate all the things she has been through, whether good or bad and that they have made her who she is today. “That can then inspire other people, just through listening to my story and maybe relating to it,” she says.
“Music has impacted my life in that it has shown me that I can do anything. I can be myself; I can speak my own language and make it the same room as people who grew up posh. I grew up in the hood, but I can make it to the same platforms with them.”
Gemma Fassie
This talented young singer, songwriter, content creator and occasional model says music has always been part of her life. “My music speaks to who I am and also heals my inner child,” she says.
She says her music is genre-fluid and she enjoys playing with aspects of different genres, from amapiano to Afro, gospel, R&B, soul or jazz.
“Whether I was at church, school, after school, or with my friends, my brother, my mom, my dad, my whole family… there was always music. Music brings people together. I feel like that’s where my love for it started – because of how it brought my family together, brought my community together, and just seeing how receptive people were to music, especially when I would perform, even at the age of six,” she says.
In 2015, while she was still in school, she entered a competition called Raucous for Hectic Nine-9 as part of a three-piece group that did mash-ups of Top 40 songs. Her group won the competition and her school’s support gave her to confidence to pursue a career in music.
Noluthando Ngema
“My name means ‘with love I stand’, and everything I do is with love, including music,” says Noluthando Ngema, singer and content creator. “I have a sound that is unique, but also resonates quite deeply with the human soul.
“My style of music is native. It is a call to a land that most people might not know of; a call to humanity in its beautiful form,” Noluthando explains. “I get inspiration from everywhere. I am an eclectic mix, from the Maskandi vibe to the Florence and the Machine vibe, as well as the newer generation of musicians, like Msaki or MUZI. I very much draw from all those people and add my unique touch
She says she’s always been a creative human being and the one child who was called upon to perform at family events, but it was only later on, when she went through dark times of depression and anxiety, that she found music was a medium through which she could connect with herself and with God.
Qaqamba Ntshinka
Qaqamba Ntshinka is an Afro-jazz singer and songwriter, as well as a digital marketing specialist.
She says she realised her musical potential, as well as having the value of someone who believes in you when she was offered the opportunity to perform at Selective Live Cape Town by someone she had told about her passion for music while she was still studying digital marketing.
“Having someone believe in me helped to ignite my purpose and helped me to believe in myself,” she says. “I have been singing since childhood, but that was a memorable moment for me in 2022 and after that, my life really changed.”
The public can vote for their favourite finalist by sending an SMS with the word EMERGING plus the artist’s name to 49960. SMSs are charged at R2 and free SMSs do not apply. People may vote as many times as they like. People can also listen to each finalist’s music and vote on the Basadi online platform Basadi-in-Music-Awards-2023-voting (scroll down to the Nando’s Emerging Artist category) or on Spotify Nando’s Emerging Artists of the Year Spotify.
Voting for the 2023 Basadi in Music Awards closes on 24 July 2023.
Also see: Khanyi Mbau to host the Basadi in Music Awards ceremony
