Zani Challe gets best female artist award in Malawi UMP: Oscar Thomson recognised with Lifetime Achievement
Zani Challe is Queen of the UMP, winning the best Malawi female artist award at a ceremony that also paid a powerful tribute to the rapper Revolver (late Kenneth Muwamba).
“I’m just so thankful,” said South African based Zani (born Michelle Chiumia).
The sensational singer dropped Single Tonight, a fusion of dancehall and R’n’B, in May this year which features Nigerian award-winning reggae-dancehall artist Patoranking..
The song talks of a boy and girl liking each other, but it is the girl who sets the tone and goes for what she wants, a major departure from what Malawian ladies do—wait for a man to propose.
It was done in English with bits of Chichewa and Igbo languages.
Her award comes after she nominated for the 2016 Africa Music Awards (Afrima), the only nominee from Malawi.
She was ominated in the Revelation of the Year category for her Single Tonight
During the awards, Oscar Thomson received the 2016 UMP Lifetime Achievement Award.
Thomson was a club disc jockey (DJ) in Bristol, UK, before he came back to Malawi to start FM 101, the country’s first independent radio station.
While in the UK, Thomson applied for a radio license but it was not successful. While he was waiting on the UK radio license, he heard that Malawi had opened for radio licenses and he decided to come back to apply for a radio license in the country where he started running FM 101 in 1998.
Power 101 proceeded to have a program dedicated to the youthful artists. Then eventually the radio station had three radio programmes dedicated to the youth.
“The youth and music really inspired me and this is what really pushed me to open the radio station, Power 101. I felt that the youth of Malawi had nothing in terms of radio entertainment. I also felt that there was need to give the youthful artists in Malawi a radio platform for their music and since then FM 101 has dedicated most of its programming to Malawian music,” Thomson said in a statement.
Below is list of the 2016 UMP Awards winners:
Best Rap/Hip-Hop Artist: Martse
Best Reggae/Dance-hall Artist: Maliga Mafia
Best R&B/Afro-Pop Artist: Kell Kay
Best Gospel Artist: Suffix
Best Female Artist: Zani Challe
Best New Artist: Jay Jay Cee
Song of the Year: Mwini Zinthu by Ril B and Blaze
Album of the Year: Malinga Mafia – Flawless Heart
Music Video of the Year: Chipapapa – Tay Grin ft 2Baba
Video Director of the Year: Sukez
Producer of the Year: DJ Sley
Artist of the Year: Tay Grin
Lifetime Achievement : Oscar Thomson
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