Debashine Thangevelo
ONCE again, ANN7 are pulling out all the stops with the international music acts on the bill for their second South African of the Year Awards ceremony.
This year, they have lined up five-time Grammy Award winner, Christina Aguilera ( Genie in a Bottle-fame), as the headline act as well as pop heart-throb Jason Derulo. They will be joined by a host of local artists, from rapper AKA, a capella act The Soil to ChianoSky.
Aguilera, as viewers know, has been a coach on the hugely-popular talent scout reality series, The Voice. The mother of two, who is working on her new album with Pharrell Williams, also made her debut on the hit TV series Nashville as singer Jade St John.
This year, she took home the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance honours for Say Something with A Great Big World at the 57th annual Grammy Awards.
Renowned for her soprano vocals, she masterfully blends pop, R&B and soul into her songs.
Meanwhile, Derulo, who clearly can’t keep his shirt on – but let’s face it, he is no Will Smith in Bad Boys, though – will no doubt serenade the audience with his well-known hits, from Whatcha Say, Want to Want Me, Wiggle, Talk Dirty to In My Head.
Moegsien Williams, ANN7’s Editor-in-Chief, said: “While we are celebrating all things South African, out intention is, at the same time, to market the country and showcase the wide array of talented, innovative, industrious, high-achieving and successful people in our land and within all spheres. That is why, strategically, we secure major international acts each year.
“The South African of the Year Awards is a prestigious event featuring and attended by the who’s who of South Africa. We are therefore proud to have an artist as talented and socially responsible as Christina Aguilera.”
This year, Masego “Maps” Maponyane takes over the reins as host from Bonang Matheba and former ANN7 Prime host, Chantal Rutter Dros.
The categories are: Trendsetting Celebrity of the Year, Campaign of the Year, Spirit of Humanity of the Year, Sportsperson of the Year, Business Leader of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Young South African of the Year, Conservationist of the Year and, last but not least, South African of the Year.
The latter category went to our fearless public prosecutor, Thuli Madonsela, last year. Looks like ANN7 has an evening of entertainment, laughs and, of course, awards, mapped out for October.
l The South African of the Year ceremony takes place at the Ticketpro Dome (Coca-Cola Dome) on Saturday, October 17. It is open to the public. Ticket prices range from R550, R850, R1 200 to R2 500 at ticketpro.co.za and will go on sale on Monday.