On Sunday evening, Zakes Bantwini, Nomcebo Zikode and Wouter Kellerman made Mzansi proud as the local trio won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance for “Bayethe” during a historic night in Los Angeles.
While it was Kellerman’s second win at the prestigious awards, it marked Bantwini and Zikode’s very first wins.
“It’s difficult to find the words to truly express how this moment feels and what it means,” says Bantwini over a call from Los Angeles.
“This is the most important awards show in the world and for us to be recognized on such a big stage means we’re doing something right.”
In the lead up to the awards, Bantwini had spoken to IOL Entertainment about how regardless of whether he won or not, the nomination alone felt like a win.
“I definitely stand by that. But now, it doesn’t have to feel like a win — it IS a win. I’m going to be Zakes Bantwini the Grammy Award winner for the rest of my life. That’s insane. It’s something I could’ve never imagined growing up.
“It just proves to me and everyone back home that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, focus and work hard towards your goals.”
The past year and half have been nothing short of sensational for Bantwini.
It all started in August of 2021 when he previewed an unreleased song titled “Osama” at an event known as Kunye.
A video of him performing the song for the very first time at the event went viral on social media and garnered millions of views online, which prompted him and his team to expedite its release a few weeks later.
The song would go on to debut at number one on the official Radio Monitor South Africa chart, where it remained for a record-breaking ten weeks in a row.
Shortly afterwards he struck gold once again with “iMali”, his platinum-selling collaboration with Karyendasoul and Nana Atta.
Since then, Bantwini broke his duck at the South African Music Awards (SAMAs) as he bagged awards for Highest Airplay and Best Collaboration, a GQ Award for Musician of the Year, and a South African Social Media Award (SASMA) for Most Popular Song on South African Social Media.
Now, he’s just gone and added the biggest award of them all to his growing trophy cabinet.
Next up, Bantwini will be hosting Abantu Festival at DHL Stadium in Cape Town as he draws the close on his musical career with his final album, which is also titled “Abantu”.
“A lot of people have been asking me since we got nominated whether I’d still be retiring after my next album,” he says.
“The answer is yes. There’s no better time to leave than when you’re at the top of your game. I’m at the top of the game now and it’s time for me to step back and be more involved as an executive at IMG Africa and Mayonie.
“I’m also looking forward to spending more time with my family because I’ve been traveling across the world non-stop for the past year and a half.”
Bantwini also says we can expect the music video for his latest collaboration with Kususa and Argento Dust titled “Asanda”, which has been blazing a trail on local radio over the past few months.
“We’re all really excited about how well ‘Asanda’ is doing. I think we might just have another huge hit on our hands.”