Perks in the Channel O music video awards

By Laju Arenyeka

Nigerian artistes took home 50% of the Channel O music Video Awards last weekend, proving to the rest of the world that we’ve got it down here as far as music is concerned. But, yikes! Every silver lining has a cloud, and whether you walked down  the red carpet into Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, South Africa or you arrived through the magical land of television while lying on your couch, you noticed the perks. Yes you did! And since you don’t have the guts to do so, we will point them out on your behalf.

Woman Palaver
Apart from the ‘Most Gifted Female Video of the Year’ which had to be won by a woman, no female act took home any awards that night.  Tiwa Savage’s joy was for her featuring in Flavour’s Oyi,  which won Most Gifted R&B video. Same for Mo Cheddah who featured in the D Black hit song, Falling, which won Most Gifted West African Video. Apart from these ‘jara’ awards, the ladies seemed to be missing in action.

*D’banj shortly after receiving his award

Ice Prince the MC
Ice Prince got a well deserved ‘Most Gifted Hip Hop Video Award’ for Superstar. But not many would refer to him as a superstar when it came to hosting the awards. Ice Prince seemed a lot out of place, less at home, more overwhelmed, and less eloquent beside South African model, On Air Personality, and business mogul, Bonang. Perhaps that’s what he was trying to explain with his free ‘debating hand.’ Let’s hope the panel of judges was more convinced and less confused.

Not D’banj’s crowd?
The crowd went berserk when the Koko Master performed Oliver Twist, but seemed too cold when he was given the sterling award for Most Gifted Video of the year. A word comes to mind-Jealousy. And so does a solution to avoid such a thing from happening next year: Hold the awards in Naija!

WANTED: Award receiving classes
While some recipients were more interested in hugging the next person than in receiving the awards, some others showed flagrant disrespect by turning the statue upside down. All these could be mildly overlooked, but the fan club on stage? There’s a reason why there is only one microphone for the recipient; one name on the winners list; one superstar or group per award.

Lucky guess: the award belongs to only one person (or group depending on the case). If the person mentions your name in their speech, good luck. If not, forgive and take your salary at the end of the month.

Tiwa’s look
One thing the fans like about Tiwa Savage’s look that night: Her mum on the red carpet. Apart from that, this sultry singer’s dress and makeup got bad reviews from fans at the end of the day.  Although she didn’t win, a nomination for ‘Most Gifted Female Video of the Year’ doesn’t seem so bad after all.