Basadi in Music Is Mapping the Women Who Actually Build the Industry

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By Viranova Awards Desk05 Jul 2026Music

When the 2026 Basadi in Music Awards nominees were announced, the headlines naturally leaned toward the biggest performers.

Zee Nxumalo led the conversation with multiple nominations, while artists such as MaWhoo, Tyla, Nkosazana Daughter and Ayra Starr also appeared across major categories.

That part matters.

Awards need stars. They need the names that carry fanbases, streams, radio heat and public attention. They need the performers who make people vote, argue, post and pay attention to the ceremony.

But the deeper value of Basadi in Music is not only in celebrating the women at the microphone.

Founded by Hloni Modise-Matau in 2022, the platform has consistently positioned itself around recognising women across the full music value chain — on stage and behind the scenes.

That is where the awards become more important than a usual nominee cycle.

The industry categories matter because they push back against one of music’s most stubborn myths: that success belongs only to the visible star. A hit song may have one face in the public imagination, but around that face is a network of labour.

Managers.

Stylists.

Journalists.

Radio producers.

Television producers.

Presenters.

Publicists.

Makeup artists.

Hair professionals.

Podcast voices.

People who build the conditions that allow music to travel, be seen, be understood and be remembered.

Basadi in Music’s Vanguard categories give that labour a public frame.

The Artist Manager of the Year category alone places names such as Vanessa Mazabane, Sannah Thwala, Daisy Thato Selebogo, Mela Mtimande, Shiran Weltsman and Thuli Kweupile inside the public record of the industry. That matters because artist management is often one of the most invisible forms of creative labour, even though it can decide whether a career becomes sustainable or collapses under pressure.

A manager helps shape the plan.

The calendar.

The negotiations.

The partnerships.

The hard conversations.

The long-term decisions that audiences rarely see.

When an awards platform names that work, it expands the story of music success.

The same applies to entertainment journalists, radio producers, TV producers and stylists. These are not side characters in the music economy. They are part of the system that turns songs into culture. They build context, create visibility, protect image, shape access and help audiences understand why an artist matters beyond one release.

That is the real cultural work of Basadi in Music.

It does not only ask, “Which woman had the biggest song?”

It also asks, “Which women helped make the industry function?”

That question is important because South African music is often discussed through performance, virality and chart success. But the infrastructure behind those moments is just as powerful. Every artist who breaks through is surrounded by people who coordinate, package, document, style, pitch, produce, schedule and protect the work.

Many of those people are women.

Many are not famous.

Many are not centred when the success story is told.

Basadi in Music changes that by making the map wider.

In 2026, the awards are not only reflecting who is popular. They are recording who is building. That is why the nominee list matters even before a single winner is announced.

The stage will always be important.

But the backstage matters too.

Basadi in Music is not just handing out trophies.

It is mapping the female infrastructure that keeps South African music moving.

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