Three local musicians scooped the award for the Best Global Music Performance at the 65th annual Grammy Awards ceremony which was held at The Crypto.com Arena (formerly the Staples Centre) in Los Angeles on Sunday, 5 February 2023. This year’s award ceremony was hosted by our very own home grown hero, comedian and TV host Trevor Noah, for the third year in a row. The award is presented to recording artists who have demonstrated excellence in the burgeoning field of global music.
Zakes Bantwini, Nomcebo Zikode and Wouter Kellerman who were nominated for their single Bayethe were blown away when they heard their names being read out and announced them as winners. “I just want to say, we are coming from Africa, South Africa. And this moment right to anybody who’s in Africa just proves and affirms that every dream is valid.”, says Osama hitmaker and SAMA award winner, Zakes Bantwini, “We were all beaming with pride when we walked up onto that stage. It’s such an incredible accolade – not just for us, but also for South Africa. It is an important acknowledgement of the role that local indigenous music has to play on the global music stage.”
Independent Media Group Africa (IMG) business partner and manager, Sibo Mhlungu, couldn’t agree more. “Bayethe is a truly global record that speaks to the dynamism and undeniable talent of all three artists,” he says. “We are proud and honoured but not surprised that they’ve been recognised for being at the cutting-edge of a genre of music that’s set to define the 21st century.”
Zakes and his team from Grid Worldwide, a specialist agency that builds brands by giving them meaning, arrived in LA ahead of the awards ceremony and featured on the Global Music Panel Discussion held on Tuesday, 31 January.
Grid Worldwide and 608 Experiences CEO, Adam Byars, emphasised how important it is to build music brands through collaborations like the one that brought Bayethe to life.