Durban - Zakes Bantwini will carry South African pride ‒ with Wouter Kellerman and Nomcebo Zikode ‒ at the 65th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 5 where they hope to be hailed for the hit “Bayethe”.
He said the Grammy-nominated “Bayethe” collaboration with Kellerman and Zikode was a great alignment.
“It was just great timing and alignment. I met up with Wouter at the SAMAs and we discussed working together on a song that had the potential of being recognised at the Grammys. It’s such a blessing that it all came together as we dreamed it would.
“I have tremendous respect for both artists and I hope we can bring the award back home,” said the man from KwaMashu.
Even as the success and popularity of amapiano have grown, he has not made the transition.
“I’ve always stayed true to my particular sound and the sound has always stayed true to me. I’m not a newcomer so I don’t find the need to jump on whatever is hot to get a bit of clout.
“Amapiano is a great South African sound and I’m happy to see how popular and successful it’s becoming globally, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessary for us all to transition into it,” said Bantwini.
He also said that being recognised on a global stage felt amazing.
“I and my team at IMG Africa have been working super hard for this level of recognition and it all just seems to be coming at the same time. We’ve been performing across the world for the past few months and this year looks like it’s gonna see us take things to a whole new level,” he said.
The hitmaker said that with a successful year, with songs like “Osama” setting the summer on fire, he is open to more collaborations.
“I’m really big on collaboration so I’m open to anything that comes together organically and makes sense for where I’m at in my career. You can also expect a few more international features in the near future and on my upcoming album, ‘Abantu’,” said Bantwini.
His previous album, “love light and music”, was not recognised at the SAMAs and the Independent on Saturday asked if he thought the notion of being appreciated in SA comes after global recognition.
“Sometimes it does. In general, the awards have never recognised my music the way I feel my music is deserved, but these things happen. We’ve been winning a lot lately and the nominations still keep coming in,” said Zakes.
His message to young people dreaming of being where he is today as an artist is: “Keep pushing yourself and don’t give up on your dreams if you really believe that you’re on the right path. The world has its eyes on SA and the rest of the continent now more than ever.”
The Independent on Saturday