SA’s Goldfish up for MTV EMA award

SOLID GOLD: Cape Town duo Goldfish have been nominated in the Best African Act category of the MTV European Music Awards (EMAs).

SOLID GOLD: Cape Town duo Goldfish have been nominated in the Best African Act category of the MTV European Music Awards (EMAs).

Published Sep 22, 2014

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WITH the MTV VMAs over, it is now time for the EMAs (European Music Awards) which will take place on November 9 in Glasgow, Scotland.

This has to be MTV’s last big event before we wrap up the year. Unlike in the past where the nominations were straightforward, this time around it seems the nominations list is full of rivals.

Rappers Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azalea clash in the Best Hip Hop and Best Look categories. Theirs is not just a situation of healthy competition, there are reports that the pair don’t get along. It will be interesting to see who gets the most accolades on the night. Most South Africans might just go with Minaj because she has a huge fan base here, the same fan base that was hurt last week by the announcement that she will not be performing in the country this month.

But wait, there is more. Katy Perry and Taylor Swift continue their tug-of-war for awards with two nominations each. They are competing for the Best Female and Best Look awards. Personally, I feel it would be great if Perry won for a change, because Swift is a permanent feature at all the music awards ceremonies. She is fast becoming what Meryl Streep is to the Academy Awards. We get that Swift is a talented songwriter who makes memorable music, but surely there are others out there.

Another bout to look out for is the one between 5 Seconds of Summer and One Direction, who meet in the Best Pop category. They are what the Backstreet Boys were against Take That. While the older groups were too whiny, they still catered for more or less the same market. With that in mind, the two groups will also have to fight for their honour in the Biggest Fans category which will be decided by their fans on Twitter.

Perry leads the overall number of nominations with seven nods. She is followed closely by the “new Mariah Carey”, Ariana Grande. Hitmaker Pharrell Williams did well this year and earned himself five nods, the same as One Direction. Sam Smith, Minaj, Azalea, Eminem and Kiesza are all tied on an impressive four nominations a piece.

Coming home to Africa, in the Best African Act category we have Toofan, Diamond, Sauti Sol, Davido and our very own Goldfish. Voting is now open and we hope that our Fishies progress to the next level. We had Mafikizolo go to the VMAs and come back empty-handed. The same happened with Lcnvl last year at the EMAs so it would be great to break that drought and bring home the MTV statue.

Then again, there is that kid Davido, who has been sweeping up everything at every award ceremony all over the world. He has had a good run and it will take a miracle to beat him. On the one hand, he is talented and on the other, he has the Nigerian fan base that spreads beyond the borders of that country. This one will be a tough win for Goldfish, but it’s not impossible. EMA voting is open for all categories at mtvema.com

• The 2014 MTV EMA’s will be broadcast live from The Hydro in Glasgow on Sunday, November 9 at 10pm on MTV (DStv channel 130).

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