Becomes the first Motswana artist to win a Metro FM award and gets R100,000 in prize money
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
Kwaito-kwasa star Odirile ‘Vee’ Mampeezy Sento this past Saturday won a One Africa Metro FM award at the 16th Metro FM Music Awards held at the iNkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, South Africa.
Vee has always been optimistic of bagging the award. In fact, he predicted that he would win it in a conversation with Time Out a few weeks ago, just after the nominee list was unveiled, saying: “I have been nominated alongside Africa’s music heavyweights but this also means I am a big artist. All I can say is that Metro award is coming to Botswana, I am winning it,” he said.
During his acceptance speech Vee mentioned that he was learning to speak Zulu and thanked God for his win. He later posted a photo of himself on Instagram holding the Metro award in his hotel room, with the caption, “(sic) KING JESUS I’m humbled sir u are the best!! TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED U ARE THE WINNERS!!!”
Vee’s performance of the hit song I Do made him one of the best performers during the awards night. The song which won him the award which is also dedicated to his wife and earned him R100 000 (P80 000), the prize money it announced each winner would get across the categories.
This award makes him the first Motswana artists to win a Metro FM award. To win the One Africa Metro FM award, Vee knocked out heavy weights who included Tekno, Tiwa Savage, Patoranking and Kommanda Obbs. Tekno is a Nigerian singer/songwriter who was nominated for his song Pana; Nigerian singer Patoranking was nominated for his song No Kissing; Nigerian female vocalist Tiwa Savage was nominated for her song If I Start to Talk while Lesotho’s Kommanda Obbs was nominated for his song Ke Tauwa.
Vee in a previous interview said he was not shaken by the fact that he had been nominated alongside heavyweights whose country’s population surpasses that of Botswana since the awards were opened to vote by everyone.
“The fact that Botswana has a small population should not be a hindering factor. As an artists, I should have fans all over the world who will vote for me,” he said.
South Africa’s Nasty C walked away as the night’s biggest winner, taking home four awards. The Hell Naw hitmaker said he didn’t even expect to take home a single award, but instead walked away with four awards including Best Hip Hop Album, Best Male Album, Best New Artist and Song of the Year.