Ukhozi FM Shakes Things Up for Crossover Song Contest: “Ensuring Fairness and Transparency”

• South African radio station Ukhozi FM will be shaking things up for the Song of the Year contest
• The new process ensures fairness and transparency for music lovers and the artists alike
• In the past few years, Maskandi has been taking it, and this prompted artists from other genres to boycott the station

It's almost that time of the year again, when fans get to choose their favourite song for 2025. Ukhozi FM's Song Of The Year, famously known as Ingoma Ehlukanisa Unyaka, ushers listeners and partygoers into the new year, and the most popular song plays at exactly midnight shortly after the countdown.

In 2024, Mthandeni's smash hit featuring MaWhoo, Gucci, won the SOTY, something that is not unusual. At the station, it's common for a maskandi song to win despite there being other popular songs in different genres.

There were growing calls from other artists to boycott Ukhozi FM, with people on social media expressing disapproval of the station's proceedings. In 2023, Dogg DBN rooted for Dlala Thukzin's iPlan to win, and threatened to boycott Ukhozi if it didn't.

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"Should iPlan not emerge victorious, we will seek other alternatives and find a neutral radio station. It’s our humble view that an amendment to the rule by Ukhozi FM should be that one vote should be allowed to determine the winner."

What's new in Ukhozi's crossover song?

Before they implemented this new change, fans used to vote for the song they wanted to see on the Top 10 on a stipulated date.

According to Daily Sun, that is no longer the case, as the station will compile a list of the top 20 songs from its charts and other streaming platforms. The nominees will be officially announced on their social media accounts and on the airwaves. Then, on 1 December, voting for the top 10 will start and end on the 31st.

"This campaign belongs to the people as it celebrates the music that brought us joy, hope and unforgettable memories throughout the year. The artists have worked hard to entertain us throughout the year, and we wish them all the best," Ukhozi FM's business manager, Lwazi Mthabela, was quoted as saying.

The purpose of this new process is to allow fairness and transparency:

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"The newly introduced two-phase process has been designed to ensure fairness and full transparency, and we're excited to see which song will take the crown as the ultimate Ingoma Ehlukanisa Unyaka for 2025," he continued.

MaWhoo thanks fans for Ukhozi FM nod

In a previous report from Briefly News, the South African Amapiano singer MaWhoo expressed gratitude after winning the Song of the Year in 2025.

Mthandeni SK's Gucciwon the Ukhozi FM Song of the Year, and it features MaWhoo. Many social media users and music lovers flooded the comment section with their reactions to MaWhoo winning, with some saying she deserved it, while others disapproved of the decision. She wrote in excitement, "Gucci. Song of the year, thank you again."

Source: Briefly News