LMAs looking better at year two

Chris Theko

The second edition of the annual Lesotho Music Awards (LMAs) promises a better outing than the initial phase of the extravagant do when the ceremony is hosted at the Thaba-Bosiu Cultural Village on October 29, 2022.

While the first edition was held with no sponsors and collaborations, this year’s do will expectedly be a show-stopper which boasts a number of sponsors with Newsday Media as a corporate and media partner for added reach.

A number of local brands will also make this year’s event a resounding success akin to a national music awards activity, among them South African energy drink ‘Mofaya’, Vodacom Financial Services M-pesa, local clothing apparels Bonono and City Kings while the awards have partnered with Newsday Media, the Real Hope, Unicorn and Lesotho Music Blog.

More sponsors are expected to be announced leading to the event.

First hosted in 2021 by the Lesotho Music Blog founder who serves as the Control Manager, Malibe Mahao, the awards are not only about awarding but empowering artists through a number of collaborations.

The Chief Awards Officer, Mthembu Phenduka said in a media briefing that when the concept began it was the brain child of one person; however, it has become bigger than that hence they are going bigger and better this year. 

“When the awards concept was initially birthed it was the idea of Mr Mahao who did an incredible job hosting the first edition which was a success. The motive of the initiative is to shine a spotlight while appreciating all the hardworking acts and affirming the talent that our country has to offer,” Phenduka said.

With a host of corporate and sponsors and partners, the awards ceremony is set to surpass the milestones of last year where only certificates were issued to the artists.   

Meanwhile, Mahao indicated that this year winners will be allotted based on quality of project submitted and reception by audience. 

“We have a registration book for people who will be interested to be part of the nominees then we will have a panel of industry experts who will then listen to the submitted songs to determine the finalists,” Mahao said.

The organisers have also brought on board the Lesotho Copyrights Society of Authors and Artists (LESCOSA) who are to resume the role of advisors leading to the awards. 

“We have improved a lot in comparison to last year so there is no pressure but improvement in terms of the things we learned from our 2021 event,” Mthembu said.    

For the 2022 LMAs, there will be 12 categories which is five categories less than last year’s edition. The categories are Artist of the Year, Listeners’ Choice, Song of the Year, Music Project of the Year (album/mixtape/EP), Male and Female Artist of the Year, Best International Feature, Best Producer, Best Collaboration, Best Newcomer, Lifetime Achievement Award and Best Music Video.

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