Malawi prison band gets Grammy Awards nomination

For the first time ever, Malawi has been nominated for the 58th Grammy Awards, revealed on Monday and are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in February.

Zomba Prison Project nominated for the Grammys.
Zomba Prison Project nominated for the Grammys.

Interestingly, it is no celebrated musician nominated from Malawi, but a prison music group known as Zomba Prison Project.

This is a band from the Zomba Maximum Prison, certainly a group not known by many music followers on the local scene.

It is their project “I Have No Everything Here”, recorded in prison, which has been nominated for the “Best World Music Album”.

The album, released in January this year, will be competing against Brazilian icon Gilberto Gil’s “Gilbertos Samba Ao Vivo”, Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo’s “Sings”, South African Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s “Music From Inala” and Indian Anoushka Shankar’s “Home”.

The nomination is historic as they become the first Malawian artists to be nominated for the Grammy Awards, dominated by the world’s top musicians, songwriters, producers and engineers.

There are 83 categories making the Grammy Awards 2016 and some of the world’s hottest musicians like Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar received nods for their outstanding work this past year.

Swift took home nominations for “Record of the Year”, “Song of the Year” and many others, while The Weeknd also dominated in categories like “Album of the Year” and “Best Pop Solo Performance”. But it was Lamar who led the way overall with 11 nods.

Zomba Prison Project’s “I Have No Everything Here” album, which features 16 singer-songwriters, was produced by Ian Brennan, an American Grammy award-winning producer.

All the songs were written by the inmates, and many have tellingly personal titles like: “Give Me Back My Child,” “I See the Whole World Dying of AIDS” and “Don’t Hate Me.”

According to online sources, Brennan first entered Zomba in 2013 and he was not sure he would be allowed access to record. But after meeting with the head of the prison, the producer and his wife, Marilena Delli, were allowed to set up a small mobile recording studio.

See the full list of the Grammy Awards 2016 nominees: http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/6785974/grammy-nominations-2016-full-list

Zomba Prison Project’s music is available for sale here: https://zombaprisonproject.bandcamp.com.

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KAMTEDZA
8 years ago

This is where we Malawians should know that those who win in such things as Grammy Awards do not win because they are any greater than we are, no. Rather they win because they have the opportunity and resources that allow them to do so. It is the machination of the producer that has taken the Prison Band to the Grammies. This reminds about so many scenarios that are similar to this: There are many celebrated academicians in Malawi who are more intelligent than the the most visible celebrated academicians out there. It is easier these days to get a… Read more »

Man Ganya
Man Ganya
8 years ago

Kasungu you are a kid. Did you listen to the music?

Man Ganya
Man Ganya
8 years ago

Let kasambara join them. U know he can’t sing.

Ineyo
Ineyo
8 years ago

Iwe kasungu The whole idea of sending people to prison is to rehabilitate them. This is rehabitation!

Rasta
Rasta
8 years ago

This is promoting Criminality,bcoz this shows that by becoming a criminal u will end up in prison and it can get u nominated 4 a Gramy Award making u famous on an international stage than a descent hardworking citizen who is trying and trying to make it big.But i have never heard their song b4 their songz r not played on local rados.

Prison Warden
Prison Warden
8 years ago

at least one of these guys amachita mathanyula

Prison Warden
Prison Warden
8 years ago

meanwhile TayGrin gets BEFFTAs hahahahahahahhahahahhahah

wawa
wawa
8 years ago

WHERE ARE WOMEN IN THE BAND?

Jen
Jen
8 years ago

Mzungu sadzatheka amwene. I like the last sentence. Akuti Music for sale on….you see pamene munthu akuwona hardcore criminals pamwomwepo Mzungu akuwonapo khobidi. Musova.

kasungu
kasungu
8 years ago

ARE THEY DOING THEIR TIME OR PLAYING IN THE BAND? HOW DO YOU JUSTFY TO THE CHILDREN THAT CRIME DOES NOT PAY? HERE I SEE CRIME PAYS. WHAT ABOUT THE VICTIMS WHO THEY TOOK THEIR RIGHTS AWAY? THIS IS A JOKE. IF YOU HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY OR DONATIONS PLEASE LOOK AT THE NEED. CHIRDREN IN SCHOOLS, OTHER SMALL LOCAL BANDS.

Prison Warden
Prison Warden
8 years ago
Reply to  kasungu

kikikikikikiki

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