It was a night of a thousand stars but for South Africa, the 65th Grammy Awards yesterday morning was an evening of triumph. The trio of Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini, and Nomcebo Zikode took gold for their collaborative track, Bayethe, in the Best Global Music Performance category.
Kellerman is no stranger to international awards and already has four Grammys on his mantelpiece. Last year, Black Coffee flew the flag when they walked away with Grammys for Best Dance and Electronic Music Album.
Bantwini and Zikode debuted on the same night that Beyonce set the record as the most awarded artist of all time.
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Bantwini said the gathering at the South African Music Awards (Samas) before seeing the trio imagined winning a Grammy. Little did he know, at the time, that his vision would become a reality a few months later.
He said, “I think a good story is that we met with Wouter talking about it at the South African Music Awards. So we met at the awards in South Africa talking about this particular moment, and today we are at the Grammys. Let’s go!”
Kellerman has earned seven Samas and Bantwini has received several awards over the past few months. He recently won two Samas for highest airplay and best collaboration, he was celebrated with the GQ Award for Musician of the Year last year and he received the South African Social Media Award for Most Popular Song on South African Social Media.
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SA music has been a constant at the Grammy Awards for just over three decades with Bantwini and Zikode joining a small but mighty collective of legends, all of whom have won one of the toughest awards in the world.
Dreams are valid
To win a Grammy, you can’t just be good, you have to be amazing at your job. Miriam Makeba. Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Johnny Clegg count among the artists who now keep Kellerman, Bantwini and Zikode company.
“This award is not only for us, but for everyone at home. This moment is proof that our dreams are true and we can achieve anything we set our minds to,” Bantwini said in a statement.
Bantwini believes winning an award of such stature shows young South Africans that almost anything is possible – and achievable.
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“I want every youngster in the ghetto in South Africa to dream big and believe that we deserve to be recognized on the world’s biggest stage,” he said.
“Thank you to my team at IMG Africa, my collaborators Wouter Kellerman and Nomcebo Zikode, and everyone who has supported this journey.”
Grammy wins ‘special moment’
Sibo Mhlungu, who manages Bantwini and has collaborated with him in the music business, said: “This is an incredible moment for us. When Zakes and I started this company half a year ago, our goal was always to compete on the world stage.
“This moment did not come by chance. We prepared for it, and we said there. Congratulations to the team and everyone involved in this project. “We will certainly celebrate this all year.”