Image via Instagram/@masterkgsa
Our Master KG leads music award nominations with ‘Jerusalema’
‘Jerusalema’, the song the world went crazy for over lockdown, has five nominations at the African Muzik Magazine Awards.
Image via Instagram/@masterkgsa
Master KG has five African Muzik Magazine Awards (Afrimma) nominations for his global hit song Jerusalema.
This makes the Limpopo-born artist and what some call “the song of lockdown” the leading nominee for this year’s awards.
“I’m So Excited 5 Nominations at This Year @afrimma Awards Please Vote for Me www.Afrimma.com Thank You #Jerusalema,” Master KG wrote on his Instagram feed.
The record producer and singer has nominations in the Best Male Southern Africa, Afrimma Video of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Collaboration and Artist of the Year categories.
The seventh edition of the African Muzik Magazine Awards will be held virtually on 15 November 2020, due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
“The Afrimma Virtual Awards 2020 is set to be the first of its kind in the African music world,” said the organisers.
There will be “performances from different artists around the world”, they said. Audiences will be able to watch the performances and award presentations on multiple streaming devices.
#JerusalemaDanceChallenge
The song has gained global prominence over lockdown and healthcare workers, police, schoolchildren and even priests have danced the routine now known as the Jerusalema.
And dancers from countries, such as Romania, France, Germany, and many others have taken part in the #JerusalemaDanceChallenge, which may have started in Angola.
President Cyril Ramaphosa called for all to do the #JerusalemaDanceChallenge as part of Heritage Day celebrations on 24 September.
Music awards snub
South Africans were unhappy that Master KG did not receive as much acclaim here as in other African countries and abroad.
After all, the Limpopo artist did not have a single nomination in the 2020 South African Music Awards in early August. This was even though his song received the most airplay, had a huge number of downloads and many views on YouTube.
Accolades for ‘Jerusalema’
However, it has been a global hit. The catchy tune has had many accolades and has steadily won views and fans around the world.
- The song became a global sensation after its remix featuring Burna Boy went out. This saw the song top almost every music chart around the world. It was particularly popular in Europe.
- Since the beginning of September, the song has been at the number one spot on the Shazam Global Top 200.
- According to Radio Monitor, Jerusalema is the No 1 song played on radio in Belgium. It has also hit the top five most played in Italy and Germany.
- The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture appointed singer Nomcebo Zikode and Master KG as cultural diplomacy ambassadors.
- The song has more than 142 million views on YouTube, the first by any South African artist to achieve this milestone.
- The song has been shared by celebrities who have a huge following on social media. Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, used the song in the background of a video of his family. He shared this with his 237 million followers on Instagram.
