It was a big night for South African musicians Zakes Bantwini, Nomcebo Zikode and Wouter Kellerman, who received the biggest honour for their hit “Bayethe” at the 65th annual Grammy Awards ceremony, held at the Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, February 5.
The trio went head to head with the likes of Burna Boy, Matt B, Aroof Aftab, Anoushka Shankar and Rocky Dawuni in the Best Global Music Performance category.
Beaming with pride as he walked to the stage to accept the award, Kellerman said: “Thank you so much. This is such a beautiful moment. On the road to sharing South African culture with the world, thank you Nomcebo, thank Zakes for your incredible creativity, and thanks to all the musicians that work on the album.
“Collaborations like these bring out the best in all of the music traditions that bring so much richness to global music. It’s an amazing adventure to be part of something so special.”
No stranger to the Grammys, Kellerman received a Grammy for his album, “Winds of Samsara”, in 2014 and was nominated for Grammys in both 2015 and 2021.
We won the Grammy for the Best Global Music Performance for our song ‘Bayethe’ Thank so much to everybody for all the support - this is for the whole of South Africa! Awesomeness @ZakesBantwiniSA @Nomcebozikode #africatotheworld #grammy #grammy2023 pic.twitter.com/qK31QPBHCl
— Wouter Kellerman (@wouterkellerman) February 5, 2023
For Zakes Bantwini, the accolade was a love letter to an African child, affirming that “everything is possible”.
“I just want to say we come from Africa, South Africa, and this moment here, to everybody who is in Africa, just proves and affirms that every dream is valid. For every child in the ghetto ,in the village, just know that it's possible.
WE WON THE GRAMMY! Congrats @wouterkellerman @ZakesBantwiniSA @Nomcebozikode Best Global Music Performance- Courtesy Jen Su reporting via CBS | GRAMMYs for Entertainment News #GRAMMYs #Grammy #SouthAfrica #wouterkellerman #zakesbantwini #nomcebozikode pic.twitter.com/Q3wBsf9ys4
— Jennifer Su (Jen Su) (@jennifer_su) February 5, 2023
In her acceptance speech, Zikode, the singer and songwriter who co-wrote the global hit, "'Jerusalema" with Master KG in 2019, couldn’t contain her excitement. She expressed her gratitude to her mother and spouse for their unwavering support throughout the years.
“Thank you so much to God. I once gave the world a song that took the world by storm, but I didn't get this nomination or this award, but God was saying to me don't worry, my daughter, I will give you ‘Bayethe’.
“Thank you so much to my mom. Thank you so much to my husband, Selwyn Fraser, believe me, this is yours. Your support is amazing.
She added: “This is a career highlight for all of us, and it just goes to show that South African talent can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with talent from all around the world.”
Look at God!!! From Hammarsdale to the world! 🌍
I never imagined that God would take me to such heights and platforms!
I want to give a special shoutout to my fans 💚🙏🏽@wouterkellerman, @tholsi_pillay, @zakesbantwini @sibo_the_zulu @fraserselwyn 👗 @gertjohan #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/gFPSArX49B