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This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending the 19th annual SAMA Awards, and I must say that it was quite an experience.
Leaving Joburg for Sun City was quite a mission as there was a delay on all major roads for some odd reason, and when I eventually got to Sun City, it was packed to capacity as the entire Celebville had descended down there.
Being at the show as opposed to watching it on TV definitely had its perks. I got to see some crazy fashion, some crazy people who entertained me with their silly pursuits of trying to look like a celeb and fit into the glamour mould that Celebville portrays and the glitz and technical glitches that aren't always present in live productions.
The mayhem was awesome, and looking back at it, I can safely say that my observations and encounters have taught me 4 things about the SAMAs.
1. There are many likers of things (LOT's)
From men in pink formal trousers and white, pointy shoes driving drop-top BMW's to women in expensive weaves waiting in anticipation in the reception area for that guy in the pink trousers to pay for their accommodation, LOT's graced Sun City quite well.
The person I crowned as the LOT of SAMA19 was a woman who wore leather bum-shorts, a diamante decorated crop top and thigh-high leather stiletto boots to the main ceremony. All she needed was a whip and handcuffs, and Teazers would have descended to Sun City as well.
2. A glamorous outfit isn't necessary
My main worry before the SAMA weekend was my outfit for the main award ceremony. I had nothing glam or extravagant to wear, and I dreaded the possibility of looking out of place at the awards.
To my surprise, and relief, it turned out that the only people that needed to dress up were the celebs themselves.
The rest of us village people could have worn pyjamas to the ceremony and it would've been fine. But as usual, there were people who tried to look like they just stepped out of a Tumblr blog, and they looked worse than the deadliest fashion disaster.
3. The dresses and suits
Some women wore dresses that looked so terrible that they would have been arrested by the fashion police, while some men that wore suits that were either drowning them or crying out for help.
Its all good and well to dress up for the SAMAs, but some people tried too hard and ended up looking disastrous.
From this, I learned that either wearing all black or choosing a simple yet sophisticated cocktail dress for women and a well tailored black suit for guys works very well and looks quite stylish. There's no need for outlandish or super extravagant outfits if you're just an audience member.
4. Vocal and dance training goes a long way
Our musos are great and we have some awesome music in SA that we can be proud of, but some musicians are in desperate need of vocal training for live performances.
When you're on stage, there's no sound mixing and autotuning to make your voice sound super superb, therefore it's fully exposed in its most raw form, and the audience will hear every note, flaw and good thing about your voice.
Having said that, Donald's voice blew me away as the brother can hold a note and he can definitely sing live, and Dr Malinga's stage presence and dance moves are completely out of this world. He's a world-class entertainer.
Chianosky was so sexy and her live performance voice was sultry, so she was my favourite as well. These were the artists that stole the show in my opinion.
Overall, the SAMAs were good, and I loved the multi-genre performances on stage, such as Desmond and the Tutus with Kabelo and Big Nuz. It brought a rainbow nation and united feel to the awards, which ultimately made it proudly South African.
Now that the SAMA weekend is over, it's back to the studio for the musos and back to reality for everyone after being in a cool and glitzy environment for two days.
Leaving Joburg for Sun City was quite a mission as there was a delay on all major roads for some odd reason, and when I eventually got to Sun City, it was packed to capacity as the entire Celebville had descended down there.
Being at the show as opposed to watching it on TV definitely had its perks. I got to see some crazy fashion, some crazy people who entertained me with their silly pursuits of trying to look like a celeb and fit into the glamour mould that Celebville portrays and the glitz and technical glitches that aren't always present in live productions.
The mayhem was awesome, and looking back at it, I can safely say that my observations and encounters have taught me 4 things about the SAMAs.
1. There are many likers of things (LOT's)
From men in pink formal trousers and white, pointy shoes driving drop-top BMW's to women in expensive weaves waiting in anticipation in the reception area for that guy in the pink trousers to pay for their accommodation, LOT's graced Sun City quite well.
The person I crowned as the LOT of SAMA19 was a woman who wore leather bum-shorts, a diamante decorated crop top and thigh-high leather stiletto boots to the main ceremony. All she needed was a whip and handcuffs, and Teazers would have descended to Sun City as well.
2. A glamorous outfit isn't necessary
My main worry before the SAMA weekend was my outfit for the main award ceremony. I had nothing glam or extravagant to wear, and I dreaded the possibility of looking out of place at the awards.
To my surprise, and relief, it turned out that the only people that needed to dress up were the celebs themselves.
The rest of us village people could have worn pyjamas to the ceremony and it would've been fine. But as usual, there were people who tried to look like they just stepped out of a Tumblr blog, and they looked worse than the deadliest fashion disaster.
3. The dresses and suits
Some women wore dresses that looked so terrible that they would have been arrested by the fashion police, while some men that wore suits that were either drowning them or crying out for help.
Its all good and well to dress up for the SAMAs, but some people tried too hard and ended up looking disastrous.
From this, I learned that either wearing all black or choosing a simple yet sophisticated cocktail dress for women and a well tailored black suit for guys works very well and looks quite stylish. There's no need for outlandish or super extravagant outfits if you're just an audience member.
4. Vocal and dance training goes a long way
Our musos are great and we have some awesome music in SA that we can be proud of, but some musicians are in desperate need of vocal training for live performances.
When you're on stage, there's no sound mixing and autotuning to make your voice sound super superb, therefore it's fully exposed in its most raw form, and the audience will hear every note, flaw and good thing about your voice.
Having said that, Donald's voice blew me away as the brother can hold a note and he can definitely sing live, and Dr Malinga's stage presence and dance moves are completely out of this world. He's a world-class entertainer.
Chianosky was so sexy and her live performance voice was sultry, so she was my favourite as well. These were the artists that stole the show in my opinion.
Overall, the SAMAs were good, and I loved the multi-genre performances on stage, such as Desmond and the Tutus with Kabelo and Big Nuz. It brought a rainbow nation and united feel to the awards, which ultimately made it proudly South African.
Now that the SAMA weekend is over, it's back to the studio for the musos and back to reality for everyone after being in a cool and glitzy environment for two days.
