Winning the MTV EMA Best African Act would have been special, but hey, these things happen. 2016 is still his year.
Wizkid and Alikiba, who generally have had very little business together are in the news for what was an error.
This error, was not self-inflicted. Unlike the last time when the duo were reported to have clashed in Kenya in a needless display of ego, this time, they didn’t have to do anything to shamefully be in the news.
This time it came from MTV, who made this happen by an honest error that has seen Africa’s most popular pop singer face derision and mass ridicule.
In an interesting turn of events, MTV Europe Music Awards has taken away Nigerian superstar Wizkid‘s “Best Africa Act” award after he won it at the award show held a couple of days ago. As is the usual practice, Wizkid was announced as the winner of the prestigious award even a day before the actual show was held.
However, the MTV EMAs website now reflects Tanzanian singer Alikiba as the winner of the award and Starboy Wizkid has deleted all reference to him winning the award off his social media pages.
This isn’t the first time Wizkid and Alikiba are at loggerheads for recognition. The two stars had an altercation at Chris Brown’s Mombasa Rocks Music Festival in Kenya a couple of weeks ago where Alikiba made claims to be a bigger star than Wizkid in Kenya – a country neither of them is from.
“The error arose due to changes in the way in which Best Worldwide was chosen this year; this led to the wrong artist initially being revealed on social media. ” a rep of MTV told Pulse via email..
It took 5 days for the error to be acknowledged and corrected, something that has caused everyone involved a bit of discomfort.
But contrary to how it is being painted by the many sections of the media, Wizkid’s only trophy at the 2016 MTV Europe Music Awards wasn’t limited to the Best African Act. The singer was also part of an elite group of artistes who were celebrated in the ‘Worldwide Acts’ category. They include:
Troye Sivan – Australia
Shawn Mendes – Canada
Maluma – Columbia
GOT7 – Korea
Wizkid – Nigeria
Zara Larsson – Sweden
Ariana Grande – U.S.
The 6 ‘Worldwide Act’ winners, including Wizkid, were selected by an international committee of MTV music executives to recognise current artists who are rising to have a wider geographic appeal beyond their local regions. The winners were chosen based off a range of criteria including international MTV video play, radio airplay, streams, and sales across multiple territories and regions.
An MTV spokesperson commented, “Both Wizkid and Alikiba are great artistes and deserving winners at the MTV EMAs and we congratulate them wholeheartedly on their achievements. We apologise for any confusion but we are pleased to recognise the achievements of both these artists on this global platform.’
Wizkid’s romance with MTV in 2016 transcends the EMA. The Starboy was heavily involved at the MTV Africa Music Awards which held in Johannesburg. Wizkid was the star of the night. The singer was the biggest winner of the night with three trophies (Best Male Artiste, Best African Act, Best Collaboration), before capping off a great night with a powerful performance at the show which was broadcasted live to every house on the continent.
“Wizkid is the deserved winner of the prestigious MTV EMAs’ Worldwide Act. An unfortunate error led to him being mistakenly pronounced winner of Best African Act, but that error has now been corrected. His achievement in winning Best Worldwide artist is a great testament to his artistry and global appeal,” a rep explained further, while intimating us with how the singer was informed, and the processes that led to him surrendering the erroneous Best African Act award.
“We have apologised for any confusion caused by the error, we should now be looking forward and congratulating Wizkid on his achievement in winning Best Worldwide artist at the MTV EMAs,” the rep said.
Wizkid has enjoyed a phenomenal 2016. The singer has continuously pushed to take the African sound to global markets.
That mission has seen him break through the glass ceiling of achievement, collaborating with the biggest international stars, while signing a deal with Sony Music Entertainment. As awards go, the star has trophies from the MAMA, MOBO, AFRIMA, AFRIMMA, and many others.
Winning the MTV EMA Best African Act would have been special, but hey, these things happen. 2016 is still his year. One mistake does not ruin his 2016 phenomenal run.
Source:pulse.ng
