This category, first introduced in 2021, acknowledges musicians who best entertained during the past year as decided by the public. Any South African musician who has released a body of work between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021 is eligible for nomination. Nominees will be bound by the official Sama rules.
The Sama28 Sampra Artist of the Year category joins Record of the Year and Music Video of the Year categories as the third award voted for by the public exclusively. The other categories are adjudicated by a panel of expert judges.
Sampra CEO, Pfanani Lishivha, said, "We are incredibly proud of the work that South African artists accomplished in 2021, especially given the conditions that they had to create in. We urge every music lover to nominate and vote for their favourite artists because it truly is your nomination and vote that will count in the Sampra Artist of the Year category."
Nhlanhla Sibisi, Recording Industry of South Africa (Risa) CEO, said, "We once again invite South African music enthusiasts to have their say in selecting the year’s biggest act. It has been a fantastic year for South African music, particularly with the emergence of new class acts. We anticipate that this will be a hotly contested category and we look forward to crowning the recipient at Sama28.”
To nominate your favourite artist of the year, send their name to 33121. SMSes are charged at R1.50 per SMS, free SMSes do not apply. Nomination lines close on 19 May.
