The Sunday News
Sunday Life Reporter
STAR FM has called on the corporate sector to partner the radio station in its annual Star FM Listeners Choice Music Awards that will be held on 13 March.
The awards are a way of honouring the efforts of the country’s musicians. Zimpapers Radio Division General Manager Comfort Mbofana said the time has come for society to realise that music was not a hobby but involves hard work and is actually an industry.
“Its rough these awards; we want to do away with the notion that music is a hobby; that musicians are not serious and do not amount to much. Music is a business and many musicians draw incomes and livelihoods from their music. We want to be able to celebrate our musicians for their talent and hard work while they are still here, hence all businesses that support music are welcome to join us,” he said.
The awards, which are in their third year, will take place virtually in line with Covid-19 regulations. Voting for the Star FM Listeners Choice Music Awards opened on Friday with listeners being asked to vote for their favourite musicians via WhatsApp and sms to the number: 0780 581 583.
There are 16 categories in the awards; which are running under the theme #RespectTheHustle. The public will be keenly following to see who scoops the Song of the Year Award and who the Best Female and Male Artist of the Year will be.
Mbofana said despite the gloom and doom that has characterised the season as a result of Covid-19; music has kept communities entertained, encouraged and inspired. “Our musicians have proved that music is more than a source of livelihood but a powerful vehicle of communication and entertainment. It is therefore critical for us to respect that; hence our hashtag #RespectTheHustle.”
“For a long time, society has dismissed music and musicians and yet we have seen the emergence of big names and businesses in music in recent years. Even corporates have been requesting and enlisting the services of musicians in their projects, showing that they too are seeing the value in music. I am therefore calling on the business community to take their support to the next level by joining us in recognising the accomplishments of our Zimbabwean musicians especially in this lockdown period,” he said.
The lockdown has hit the music industry very hard as they have been unable to hold live shows. The Star FM Music Awards were established in 2019 as a platform to celebrate outstanding musicians. This year the awards will be livestreamed on the Star FM and ZTN Facebook pages. The ceremony will also feature performances by artistes.
