|
The fourth edition of the Sounds of Blackness Awards (SOBAs) was held on February 28th 2010 at Montreal’s Outremont Theatre. The SOBAs were created by Ruddy B. Eloi (from the French-language television series Watatatow) who wanted to create a platform to reward artists hailing mainly from the black community of Quebec and of Canada.
After successfully bringing his vision to life twice (in 1996 and in 1999), Eloi revamped the SOBAs in April 2007 by backing it with a stronger structural concept. The SOBAs presently reward artists, singers, athletes, politicians and media personalities who have contributed to the development of the black culture..
This year’s ceremony was presented by AMP Energy Drink and broadcasted for the first time on Musique Plus and MusiMax. Hosted by Philippe Fehmiu, the SOBAs featured live performances by Sylvie Desgroseilliers, Massari, Marie-Luc Béland, Dubmatique (with surprise guest MC Solar), Muzion, Lorraine Klaasen and many others. A musical tribute to Oliver Jones was also on the evening’s agenda as he was inducted into the SOBA Hall of Fame.
Even though some would deem the SOBA awards unknown, I was honored to be in attendance at a live show of this caliber. It’s good that we have an event like this because Montreal hasn’t really had anything of this kind to look forward to. Eloi and his team did an excellent job organizing the show and the ushers made every single attendee feel like somebody special even if you weren’t an artist or a high-profile figure. Although the festivities were hosted in French, I appreciate the effort that was put in to honour artists from the Anglophone community; even the categories were announced both in French and in English.
I’m very aware that not every event can be perfect but a few things struck me as odd. First, this was a GALA. I saw a few people [who were not artists or personalities] arrive in sneakers, Ts and jeans. Your fashion choice is your own but bear in mind where you’re going; you could’ve taken heed from pictures of preceding years. Second, it’s called the Sounds of BLACKNESS awards however artists like Diana Krall were nominated. I’m not saying she doesn’t deserve an award or a nomination but it makes the name of the event a bit misleading. [Side Note: I have no idea who is on the judging panel or how an artist gets nominated.]
Finally, I noticed a lot of women were nominated in different categories yet not a single female artist was present in the Musique Plus Fan Choice Award category. I’m not the most feminist person in the world but, last I checked, Musique Plus also spins female music videos. Other categories, I felt, snubbed certain artists too but you can’t be nominated everywhere for everything…
Overall, I had a great time at the 2010 Sounds of Blackness Awards. It was nice to see so many talented and creative people in one place at the same time. Believe me, the award shows you watch on TV are NOTHING like the live experience. My hat goes off to Ruddy Eloi; see you next year for the fifth edition!
For more information about the SOBAs, visit their official website at www.galasoba.com.
Check out some pictures from the Red Carpet
Sincerely, KJ
www.karenjonze.com
|
