ORGANISER of the annual Zimdancehall awards says uplifting ghetto youths is the major driving force behind the honours.
The organiser, Blexs Gyver said that this year they decided to trim the categories to half from 50 as part of a rebranding exercise.
This year’s awards which are being held under the theme ‘Uplifting ghetto youths is a must, Together we rise, have been inspired by the need for more visibility and investor interest.
“The fourth edition of the Zimdancehall awards will have 25 categories and carry more glitz and glamour. It will be more inclusive while winners will get added lucrative prizes,” he said.
“We have decided to reduce the number of categories so as to ease pressure on our side, 25 is a good number and we are optimistic that we can manage to find sponsors for each category.”
The submissions for the awards will start on September 10 with the nominees set to be released in November ahead of the voting process which will run for a month.
The awards ceremony will then be held during the first week of January.
“Even if we have trimmed the categories, we are going to accommodate everyone who is doing the most to support and uplift Zimdancehall,” he explained.
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“We have categories like Best Artist, Dj, Producer in the Diaspora and Outside of Harare. We are also supporting the girl child with new categories such as Best Female Dj, Presenter, Artist and Journalist among other categories.”
Gyver said they had also created cheap and affordable platforms where the fans can easily vote in a transparent way, adding that they were going to use their Facebook page @Zimdancehall End Of Year Awards and WhatsApp number to be available soon.
“Our main agenda this year is to honour those who deserve. We are here to support local talent and appreciate their hard work in the music industry. It is high time that Zimdancehall awards be up there as the top awards in the country,” he said.
“Zimdancehall is now playing a critical part in our day-to-day lives. In order to make this industry financially viable to every player we have to start with having good awards. The shows that those who have excelled are rewarded to encourage better products in the future.”
He urged the corporate world to invest in the awards and the dancehall genre to help boost the industry and their products associated with the genre.
Dancehall singers will be honoured under categories that will include, Song Of the Year, Best Riddim, Best Album, Best Club Song, Best Collaboration and Best Video.
The other categories include Best Male Artist, Best Female Artist, Best Artist in Helmets, Best ZimReggae Artist, Best Upcoming Artist, Best Alternative Artist and Best Artist in Diaspora/Outside Harare.
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