By Matṧeliso Phulane
Local music sensation,Ntate Stunna’s collaboration with South African group 2point1 on Saturday bagged two accolades at the South African Music Awards (SAMA) ceremony.
The event recognises and celebrates musical talent across the region.
2Point1 and Ntate Stunna, real name Thaabe Letsie, scooped the coveted Music Video of the Year and the Record of the Year awards for their song ‘Stimela’.
This remarkable feat underscores the cross-border cultural influence and success within the African music industry.
The double victory also attests to their unique creativity, artistry, and the profound impact they have made on the music scene.
The SAMA is a premier music showcase hosted by Recording Industry of South Africa.
The annual event brings together the neighbouring nation’s finest music talents as they battle for the South African industry’s highest honour – a statuette at the South African Music Awards.
This was the 29th annual SAMA ceremony.
The event was aired live on SABC 1 on November 18, 2023 hosted by DJ Sabby and Nomalanga Shozi at SunBet Arena.
Nominees were announced on October 3, 2023, live on YouTube
In an interview with theReporter, Ntate Stunna said he didn’t believe it when he was announced as the winner of the two biggest awards.
No one in his team was expecting it either, he noted.
Ntate Stunna said as a recording artist, it really means a lot to him, considering that he won the record of the year in the whole Southern Africa region.
“With this song that has won, it means I have to believe in myself because I actually never believed in it. My team and I had always been so skeptical about the track.
“I just liked it personally and I was just doing something different.”
He recalled how they had always dismissed the song as a non-contender from the word go, and how they never gave it much of a thought.
Ntate Stunna added that they did not like he track’s cover artwork and its mastering, but they made up their minds to just drop it like that.
“We actually felt like its artwork and music video were not nice enough, but we just dropped it anyway.
“During the night of the SAMA awards we still did not give it a chance despite being nominated. We were actually thinking of retiring to bed and bunk the event because we were exhausted,” he stated.
He further indicated that he and his team had never really been so keen on awards, so they were shocked the song emerged victorious.
“Stimela will be a year old on December 5 but it has been amazing us; we are now beginning to get used to it. It feels like one could just say ‘wow’!”
The artist said the song now has close to 30 million views on YouTube.
“To my fans and everyone who voted for me, you surprised me a lot and I really want to appreciate everyone who voted. It is not as easy as people think it is to take your phone and decide to part with your M10 airtime vote,” he added.
