Music Industry Bids Adieu to NAMAs

As the old adage goes ‘It is always hard to say goodbye’, the annual Namibia Music Awards have come and gone.The event was certainly the biggest on Namibia’s showbiz calendar, having come at a time when the music industry needed it the most. The show was appreciated by many.

spoke to some who have graced the stage over the years, sharing their experiences and special moments that will always be close to their hearts.

Model, dancer, actress and former Miss Namibia 2010 Odile Müller, who graced the popular stage as a dancer, presenter, assistant and performance director and choreographer said the event will always be remembered for providing a platform where people can learn and be awarded for their great work.

“My first involvement in the show was in 2014. Over the years, I have learned a lot. I am so sad to have to say goodbye. Over the years, I have experienced mixed emotions. Gratitude definitely takes the lead,” she said.

Müller said over the years, she had the chance to learn, grow and thrive. She said her best moment was in 2019, when she was the performance director. “My experience as the performance director will always be special to me, because I am a dancer myself and it is difficult to make a living out of the career. I was able to be a voice to our dancers and see what is lacking,” Müller said.

Fernando ‘Drumking’ Piu Paulus has been part of the event for the past five years – two years as a drummer and three as the music director.

Paulus said his journey started in 2015, when he was given one shot to impress and he did. He said he will always be thankful for the opportunity to work on the award show as it opened many new doors for him.

“Our band received a lot of recognition in the industry. It was much more than just an event, the international recognition was incredible, we had top musicians, engineers and technicians looking forward to see what we were bringing, the artist had a good platform to be recognised in terms of their studio work and not just fan recognition, RockStar made us bring some incredible stage innovations, I will miss it all,” he said.

For Paulus, his highlights throughout the past ten years were the performance of King Tee Dee in 2015 and the 2017 show that was held in Walvis Bay.

“Everything was just special that year, from the performances, preparations, working with Rebecca Malope, to hanging with Bonang. I think that year the NAMAs show was the biggest one in Africa,” Paulus said.

Rosa Jahjid Majiedt, better known as Rose Blvc, scooped five awards, saying the Best Female artist of the year award is very special to her.

“This is a very tough category with strong and talented women competing. I could never have imagined the blessing. I am praying the show does not end. A lot of young and upcoming artists would miss out on their chance to be part of this great event,” the Okahandja-born says.

Rose Blvc said she will forever for be thankful for the NAMAs platform as it has helped her reach another milestone in her career as a live performer.

Gospel artist D-Naff, real name Naftalie Amukwelele, has bagged 11 awards over the years.

He said the NAMAS created a platform for him to introduce himself to the nation and beyond, and made him a household name.

“Every award ushered me into that formidable person. Winning the Best Gospel Award multiple times gave me a title the Gospel King. Winning most responsible artist of the year made me realise that I am not just here for me but for others too. Winning Best Reggae and Best Tradition awards made me realise that I am unstoppable in any genre,” D-Naff said.

Taylor Jaye has won an award for Best House category and has been nominated seven times.

“I am glad that I have finally won in the final year. My highlight of the awards thus far is winning an award in the final year and having the platform to perform at the last show. I always wanted to perform there.

“I was surprised knowing that by being on the show, my fashion has inspired many people and set a trend. It’s a shame the awards won’t be around next year because I am planning to release a new album,” Taylor Jaye says.

Alba Hamukwaya, affectionately known as DJ Alba, who was the in-house DJ for years, said the platform has contributed to the progress of her career in the music industry. This was the third time she was part of the annual event, her first time being 2017 and another in 2018.

“My experience with the NAMAs will always be memorable. I could not have been more honoured to have had these experiences. I feel the show was an amazing networking platform for me because I got to spend time with the production teams as well as the artists. Good relationships actually came out of this show,” the multi-talented female DJ says.

DJ Alba feels that making appearances at the NAMAs has helped her improve her presence in the music industry as people have become familiar with her. “My social media pages grew ever since the first time, so I am definitely privileged to have been part of a show of this magnitude with this type of exposure. My best moment at the event was when the production team applauded and cheered me on for a job well done after two of my shows. I was holding back the tears, but I shed them when I got home,” she said.

NAMAs executive chairperson Tim Ekandjo said although the show has come to end, MTC will still continue to support the music industry.

Ekandjo said the last show was special because for the first time in the history of the awards, all the nominees had the platform to perform, which was a challenge during previous years.

“It was difficult to select who will perform. It was wonderful having all the nominees performing and we would like to thank them all for an amazing job,” he said.

Ekandjo urged artists to continue making good music. “We might have switched the lights off, but the industry must go on. We want to see artists go on doing what they do best. We have done our part to contribute to the industry. We did not come for fame, but to help transform and better the industry. We are pleased about the success of the show. We want to thank everyone who was part of the project over the years,” Ekandjo said.

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