10 Kenyan Groups Due for Kampala PAM Fete
The regional season of awards comes to a close Saturday night with the Pearl of Africa Music Awards (PAM) being held in Kampala, Uganda.
The ceremony is an opportunity for the 10 Kenyan groups and bands who have been nominated to gauge their popularity in the eyes of their fans in East Africa.
Four Kenyan artistes will be battling it out for the Best Female Artist Award.
Amani who has been the most visible female artiste in Kenya will be battling it out with Suzzana Owiyo, Nazizi and Nyota Ndogo who pipped her to the Kisima award a few weeks ago.
Given the regional voting bloc, Nyota Ndogo with her Tanzanian following, is tipped to carry the day.
“Nyota Ndogo’s music has huge following in her native Tanzania, just as it is in Kenya, because of the bongo feeling.
“She therefore stands a better chance than the others,” says promoter Leakey Odera.
The Jamnazi Africa band, which is famed for hits such as Riziki and Kendu Bay, has been nominated for the Best Band category, and it will have to beat perennial rivals Kayamba Africa, Necessary Noise and Nix to win the award.
Given that it pipped their the rivals to win the equivalent awards at Kisima, Jamnazi Africa is the group to beat.
Old rivalry is also being renewed tonight between Eric Wainaina and Jua Cali for the Best Male award. It is the same story for most of the awards, and the duo even took their rivalry to the international stage when they were both nominated for the recent Music of Black Origin (MOBO) awards in London.
Jua Cali has also just returned from Germany where he was also one of the nominees for the Best Africa Act at the prestigious MTV Europe Music awards.
Also in that category is Wyre, who is famed for the song, Make a Choice, but the person who might spring a surprise or two on Eric and Jua Cali is definitely DNA.
His song, Banjuka Tu, is enjoying massive airplay in Uganda and Tanzania, just as it did in Kenya when it was released recently.
“It is great to be nominated because it shows that the people listen and appreciate your music,” Jua Cali told Review in a recent interview.
“If I win, then let it be.”
Of the awards from the other East African countries, everyone will be waiting with bated breath to find out who will be crowned the Male Artiste of the Year.
Three of the greatest and most controversial names in the Ugandan music scene have all been nominated for this category.
They are Jose Chameleon, Bobi Wine and Bebe Cool, the latter two of whom do not see eye to eye due to the rivalry.
The rivalry Bobi Wine and Chameleon has often turned physical, ending on police report desks. In fact, the organisers will be hoping that dark-horse Ronald Mayinja turns out to be the winner of this category to neutralise things.
“The rivalry between Chameleon’s and Bobi Wine is well known, but it is upon the public to vote for their favourite,” one of the organisers said during the official launch of the Kenya awards at Club Galileo.
“We hope there will be no drama.”
The PAM awards are special as they are the only one that offer a cash prize for the winners. Some $500 (about KSh35,000) may not sound much, but it the an icing on the cake for the winner of any award.
Since its inception five years ago, PAM ceremony has always been held in Uganda. However, to give it a regional outlook, the organisers plan to hold it in Kenya next year.
Via The Nation
