After resting the popular Soundcity Music Video Awards in 2010, it is safe to say that the magic of the reward initiative has returned as returned to the creative sector in a bigger way.
Coming from the same company, the Soundcity Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards Festival which held recently at the Eko Convention Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, lived up to the pre-event buzz of the show, introduced in 2016 by Consolidated Media Associates, owners of Soundcity Africa (Television, Radio and Digital).
At a time when the industry boasts of a few reputable music awards platform that can capture showbiz aptly, SMVP Awards Festival could be said to be a breath of fresh air. More so, as the awards has positioned itself as a Pan African event by going beyond Nigeria to appreciate artistes from other African countries.
Although there was a dedicated red carpet area right outside the convention centre, the floor of the hallway as well as the lobby leading to the events hall were draped in red. Inside, the auditorium was a continuum of glitz and glamour. The lighting and visual randomization spread from the screen on stage to the ceiling and walls, creating a fascinating effect befitting of an event of such caliber. The aesthetically designed stage was T-shaped. This allowed winners of the event to easily waltz into the stage from their seats instead of going through the backstage. Only the performers, host, and award presenters made use of the main entry and exit on stage.
Each music act that came on stage was a delight to watch, not necessarily because they were better performers but the skilled choreographers who accompanied them showcased pulsating displays. From their costumes to their dance steps, they electrified the atmosphere.
While the huge turnout spoke volumes for the organiser’s reach, the massive hall which was transformed to a showground of sorts could not accommodate all. There was barely any unoccupied space in the ground floor of the hall. It was not different upstairs. Even the VIP section which accommodated nominees and celebrities was so packed that some attendees only had room to stand. The female protocol officials had a hard time persuading to move away from blocking the view of those seated. But their pleas fell on deaf ears. It took the intervention of security personnel to convince them to either squat or leave. This respite was however short-lived. Once the guards left, they resumed their position. At this point, the female ushers gave up.
The SMVP Awards Festival is a testimonial to the professionalism of the CMA helmsman Tajudeen Adepetu. For five days, Adepetu and his team worked tirelessly at the venue to achieve the desired result. Carpenters, sound technicians, event planners, stage designers gathered at the site daily to transform the purlieu. The walls of the hallway leading to the main hall were covered with design of the nominees.
No doubt, Adepetu threw everything into the ring to have a spectacular show. This was largely made possible by three major brands, Guinness, United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Coca-Cola that threw their weight behind the ceremony.
There was so much to behold of performances by Skales and his sexily-dressed female dancers; Small Doctor who came on stage with his own group of dancers dressed in red football jerseys and shorts as he rendered his wave-making hit ‘Penalty’; Iyanya who totally stole the night as the only performer who did not rely on the popularity of his songs to entertain the audience but actually immersed himself in his performance; Tiwa Savage who performed with Alternate Sound Live Band, as the DJ cued in her songs: ‘Malo’ featuring Wizkid and ‘All Over’; and 2Baba who performed his popular hits including ‘Gaga Shuffle’, and ended his act by calling on the government and security agencies to put a stop to the recent killings by Fulani herdsmen in his home state, Benue.
While Nigerian artistes had a good outing at the show, South African rappers EMTee and Cassper Nyovest, and Ghanaian act Sarkodie who took home the Best Collaboration Award for ‘Pain Killer’ his collaborative effort with Runtown didn’t fail to excite the audience.
Davido was the man of the night. Right from his arrival, he caused such frenzy that his fans ignored the happenings on stage to focus on him. He won the most number of awards for the night. His 2017 super
hit ‘If’ fetched him two awards ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Video of the Year’. He was also the recipient of the biggest award of the night: ‘African Artiste of the Year’. Maleek Berry also took home two awards for Best New Artiste and Best Pop. Olamide and Wizkid took one award each: Listeners Choice and Digital Artiste of the Year respectively. Tiwa Savage was the only female winner of the night. She took home the award for the Best Female MVP. Other winners of the night include Cassper Nyovest (Best Hip Hop) and Diamond Platnumz (Best Male MVP).
