Winky D nominated for top reggae music award

Audrey Galawu

Zim Dancehall-Reggae artist Wallace Chirumiko, aka Winky D, has been nominated for the International Reggae and World Music Awards whose ceremony will be held on May 4 in Kingston, Jamaica.

The official list of nominees was announced by the Executive Committee of the International Reggae and World Music Awards on Thursday, March 9.

Winky D was nominated for the Best African Dancehall Entertainer award which he will be battling for with Patoranking (Nigeria), Star Zee (Sierra Leone), Shatta Wale (Ghana) and Stone BWOY (Ghana).

IRAWMA president Dr. Ephraim Martin said the public and fans will between March 6-April 15 be able to vote to select the winners.

“The content and songs released between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022 should be the basis for the nominators’ judgments. The social importance of the contents, originality, sales, local and international performances, the caliber of performances, and stage appearance must all be taken into account while nominating,” he said.

Ziggy Marley, Beenie Man, Papa Michigan, Master KG with Nomcebo Zikode (South Africa), Shata Wale (Ghana), D'Angel and Gramps Morgan are some of the artists set to perform at the awards ceremony.

IRAWMA is celebrating the best of two-years, 2021 and 2022, as last year’s ceremony had to be postponed.

All nominees and voters are urged to subscribe to IRAWMA on YouTube before choosing a candidate or casting a ballot.

The IRAWMA voting system will automatically reject any duplicate votes, therefore only one vote per individual will be accepted.

Winky D in January scooped another international award after winning the Best Male Artist in Southern Africa award at the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) in Dakar, Senegal.

In 2020, he also won the Best African Dancehall Artist at the International Reggae and World Music awards.

He has been featured in the Southern African Music Awards (SAMA) and has more than six awards, two of which are NAMA and the honorary Dancehall award.