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15 November: Record-breaking Showmax telenovela The Wife to stream in 80+ countries
Showmax’s first telenovela, The Wife, has broken Uthando Lodumo’s record for the most first-day views of all-time on Showmax, as well as Devilsdorp’s record for the most hours watched within four days of launch, outperforming the launch of any film or series on Showmax ever, including the likes of Game of Thrones, The Real Housewives of Durban and The River.
Inspired by Dudu Busani-Dube’s bestseller Hlomu The Wife, the 40-episode first season tells the story of a journalist (Mbalenhle Mavimbela from Skeem Saam) who falls in love with a taxi driver, Mqhele (Bonko Khoza from Neckie Youth), not realising that when you marry a man, you marry his secrets.
Showmax has commissioned three seasons of 40 episodes each, inspired by Dudu’s books Hlomu the Wife, Zandile the Resolute, and Naledi His Love respectively. The books follow the lives of the eight Zulu brothers, a formidable crime family, through the eyes of the wives they marry.
The Johannesburg Review of Books calls Dudu “a publishing phenomenon.” She’s become the face of self-publishing in South Africa, having topped the Exclusive Books charts, and landed four books simultaneously in the Nielsen Bookscan SA bestseller list for July 2021. And that was before Showmax announced they were adapting the series, unleashing the most heated casting debate South Africa has ever seen.
As IOL’s Buhle Mbonambi put it, “No other South African series had garnered that much attention on who was cast in the roles before. In my years of reporting about the South African TV industry, I had never come across such heated debate. Even when Deon Meyer’s Trackers book was adapted for screen by M-Net, there wasn’t this much attention paid to the casting choices. But then there have been few characters as fascinating or as gripping as Hlomu and the Zulu brothers.”
The Wife topped the Twitter trends chart in South Africa by 6:30am on the morning of its 11 November 2021 launch, with fans waking up early to devour the first three episodes of the debut Showmax Original telenovela as they dropped. The telenovela went straight to #1 on Showmax’s Top 20, ahead of Emmy winner Succession and popular reality series Temptation Island South Africa.
Early reviews are glowing. Daily Vox’s Ling Shepherd gave The Wife 10/10, saying, “It is a wild taxi ride and we want more.” TVMzansi raved, “The Wife adds a new dimension to black love. It’s so inspiring to see such a compelling work of art presented in such a way that we all relate to. The talent, the production quality, the music and the story is just incredible!” And IOL’s Debashine Thangevelo wrote, “The telenovela has blown my mind so far… Everything from the high production value, casting, scripting, directing, cinematography to wardrobe, ticks the boxes…. The [lead] actors share incredible chemistry and their respective performances are unparalleled. This scripting for the series is first-rate. Each character is so wonderfully crafted… The layered storytelling and twists will leave streamers religiously tuning in every week. Fans love the show and so do I.” Similarly, BubbleGum Club calls it “a love story for the ages”; East Coast Radio says, “It doesn’t get any better than The Wife”; and YFM hails it as “gripping.”
Most importantly, Dudu herself is delighted. “It’s been a crazy morning,” said Dudu on launch day. “People are telling me they’ve already watched the episodes more than twice and I’m like … this is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. My people are happy; they love the adaptation.”
Produced by Stained Glass (eHostela, Uzalo, Ifalakhe), The Wife is the eighth South African Showmax Original released in 2021, following on from record breakers like the true-crime phenomenon Devilsdorp and Babes Wodumo and Mampintsha’s reality series Uthando Lodumo, as well as critically acclaimed scripted series like DAM, Skemerdans and Tali’s Baby Diary and ever-popular reality series like Temptation Island South Africa S1 and Life With Kelly Khumalo S2.
The Wife is available across sub-Saharan Africa and to Showmax’s international subscribers in the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand and more than 80 countries worldwide.
Binge the first three episodes of The Wife now, with new episodes added every Thursday. Add The Wife to your Showmax watchlist here.
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D Jay lands two nominations ahead of 2023 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards with smash hit ‘Balance It’
Talk about the 24th edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards has already begun to spread like wildfire. And with fans flocking online to check out the newly released nomination list from Charterhouse Ghana, artists like D Jay are among those sparking such buzz. The sensational singer landed two nominations in two big categories for the upcoming event: ‘’’Best Afrobeats Song’’ and ‘’Best New Artiste’’.
His smash hit ‘Balance It’ was the obvious pick. It was one of the blockbuster releases of the previous year and as such, will compete with other popular tracks in its category: Camidoh’s ‘Sugarcane Remix’, Gyakie’s ‘Something’, KiDi’s ‘Champagne’, King Promise’s ‘Ginger’ and FBS’s ‘Jo’ for ‘’Best Afrobeats Song’’. There will also be tough competition from six other newcomers contesting with D Jay for the ‘’Best New Artiste’’ award.
Speaking to a source close to us, D Jay expressed his gratitude and excitement: ‘’The past year was really intense. There were many sleepless nights and the team and I worked super hard, so I am excited to see we were given two nominations. This is a huge boost for us after all the sacrifices we made. I’m thankful to everyone who never stopped streaming ‘Balance It.’ I want to win this award for all of you. Let’s make it happen!’’.
At only 21 years old, D Jay has been making waves in the music industry with his catchy and melodious Afrobeats songs. His biggest song, ‘Balance It,’ became a viral sensation on TikTok with over 100 million views and 40 million streams worldwide before attracting a verse from emPawa Africa boss, Mr Eazi on its remix last year. The song racked up over one million Shazams and is one of TikTok’s favorite songs for creating content.
D Jay is currently promoting his latest song ‘Morning Stress,’ which you can listen to here: https://empawaafrica.lnk.to/DJayMorningStress
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Lamisi Honoured In The Netherlands
Sensational Ghanaian singer, songwriter, and performer, Regina Lamisi Awiniman Anabilla Akuka, known by the stage name, Lamisi, has been awarded in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for her exploits in alternative music and for promoting the rich Ghanaian culture to her global audience.
The musician was part of several distinguished individuals and other professionals in the diaspora awarded for flying high the flag of Ghana and contributing their quota to the country’s development in various ways.
The recognition of the musician by the Representative Council of Ghanaian Organisations in the Netherlands (RECOGIN) and the Embassy of Ghana in the Kingdom of the Netherlands happened on Saturday 11th March 2023 at Schepenbergweg in Amsterdam.
Presenting a plaque to the musician, His Excellency Francis Danti Kotia, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands commended Lamisi for her great success over the years in representing her people and staying true to her culture, which is evident in her music, costuming, and performances.
“It is important we are doing this today as it shows great respect for you, the others, and the rules you have decided to live by. Honour helps us act in a way that lives up to high ideals, looks out for vulnerable people, and makes a way forward that is better than what has come before; better for everyone. We are convinced this is going to urge you to do more and we also believe that greater things are yet to come for you”, he added.
The ceremony was part of activities to mark the celebration of Ghana’s independence anniversary dubbed “Ghana @ 66 Celebration”, organised by RECOGIN and supported by the Embassy of Ghana in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Akwaaba Holland. Lamisi gave an outstanding performance to crown the ceremony.
By Harriet Ama Bampoe
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I’ll Emerge winner of VGMA “Best Rap Performance Again” – Lyrical Joe
Ghanaian rapper, Joesph Gamor, knwn by all in the entertainment fraternity as ‘Lyrical Joe’ has disclosed that he is confident of winning the ‘Best Rap Performance’ award at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, for the second time in a row. (more…)
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