UMA - URBAN MUSIC AWARDS - LONDON 1st October 2007

UK, London, 2 Oct 2007, the 5th Annual Kickers Urban Music Awards was launched last night. The final music awards ceremony will be held on the 3rd of November 2007 in London, when the show will be attended by more than 1,200 Artist, DJs, producers, promoters, record labels executives, celebrities from the world of music, radio, TV, sports and urban music fans from across the country. 

What an amazing buzz there was in the spacious vaults of Cargo, a night club in Rivington Street, London, EC2. Strangely, a street not on TomTom!  Naughty Tom, at least the one I was road testing.

Kismet: Mandy, Lera and Charley - girls with attitude © photo NJK 2007

We'd heard this was going to be a night to remember and indeed it was as the 20 finalists in the "The Best National Unsigned Act Tour" strutted their stuff, amid am appreciative audience, myself included - I had not expected the standard to be so high - hit me someone - this is the UK, and don't we consistently produce quality chart toppers.

The act which really did it for me was the Kismet Girls, a group of three sensational looking singers performing original works, with a stunning stage act, beautifully choreographed and executed by the three hotties from around the London area. The best performance of two works was on a song called 'Stalkers' - the stalkers being the girls. Watch out boys! Although their other song, 'Addictive', possibly had the edge on production. if they keep it up, I'm sure it won't be long before this dynamic trio are snapped up. Yep, believe it or not they are un-signed hence the tour. 

I got a chance to talk to the girls behind the scenes and found them to be down to earth on the one hand and exciting on the other. Not surprisingly, they share similar views on a number of subjects, such as the environment, wanting less hostility around the world and hoping for an end to poverty in less developed countries. Yet here we have three excellent stage movers, two of which were professional dancers - I'm not surprised by that. They also write great songs, tackling subjects from a different angle, so injecting some humour and sparkle, which they project from the stage with feeling and style. Well done girls for making the evening. You've got everything going for you and I hope this is picked up on.    SEE RESULTS

HISTORY

The Urban Music Awards was born out of the need to build a worldwide and independent awards ceremony to recognize the achievement of 100% British based artists, producers, club nights, dj’s , radio stations, record labels and artist within British urban music scene. Ex- Sugarbabes star Mutya Buena, Lemar, Dizzee Rascal and Just Jack capture the spotlight this year, each with nominations for ‘Most Inspiring Act sponsored by Kickers’, the Best R&B act and Best Album. At the launch at Cargo on the 1st of Oct. It was announced that UB40 will be recipient of the official Lifetime Achievement Award. UB40 lead front man, Ali Campbell who attended the press conference said “I am delighted to receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Kickers Urban Music Awards. I feel that this awards show is the real deal and it is destined to go really far. I am also excited to announce that I shall be performing with Lemar at the 5th annual Kickers UMA on the 3rd of November 2007”

The 2007 awards show is brought to you by the presenting sponsor Kickers, Marketing Manager for Kickers, Hugh Sweeney said “The Urban Music Awards is the perfect partner for us, as it is a credible ceremony that remains as much as part of the people as it is the only awards that is voted for by the public and celebrates creativity and youth movements within the UK. We see the partnership with the Urban Music Awards as a continuation of our strategy of targeting events that reinforces our heritage and connection to music on the back of the iconic Kick Hi boot”. For the first time ever in awards show history, The Kickers Urban Music Awards will expose fans to the insanity on and off the stage at the 2007 show via our live online broadcast of the awards ceremony as it happens via our sister station Invincible Television with millions of viewers and music fans worldwide expected to tune in.

Last night, also saw the introduction of pioneer BBC Radio 1 presenter, Ras Kwame and UK soul sensation, Mercury Music Prize and UMA winner, Terri Walker.  Co-hosting the event, Terri Walker said “The UMA’s have supported me for several years. I am very proud and honoured to be asked to co-host this year’s awards ceremony”.

The recipients of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for 2007 will be received by UB 40 whilst the award winning Gabrielle will be collecting the award for Outstanding Achievement. Boyz 2 Men and Grandmasterflash & the Furious Five were recipients of this award in the US show last month. Previous years have seen legends; Omar, Goldie, Beverley Knight, Heather Smalls, and Soul 2 Soul icon Jazzy B take home the award.

UMA Cargo, London, Katherine Hudson with the Kismet Girls

Lera, Charley, and Mandy © photo NJK 2007

FINALISTS

The 20 finalists from the Loot sponsored Best National Unsigned Act tours who have currently been on tour throughout the UK are;

ESH (R&B sensation)

Josephine

Speedos 

Sweet XX

Monage

Andriah

Mr Midas

Claire Maria

Sparks & Scarce

Shikane

Ali

Kismet Girls

Carla Manganiello

Monage

Handzblitz

Charlotte Holland, 

U.F.O

The Reluctants

Mizz Tee Jah

Paul Ewing

These finalists were picked out of 75,000 entries from The Loot, Footlocker stores and through their Nationwide search.

CEO & Founder of the UMA’s, Jordan Kensington said “This year to celebrate our 5th anniversary we are going all out by bringing together comedy, fashion, business and music under one roof to provide quality entertainment and to further take the thriving British urban music scene to a whole new level and at the same time provide more opportunities for our homegrown talent here in the UK and across all the international UMA licensed territories abroad”. The Kickers Urban Music Awards is the 1st and only worldwide people’s choice awards ceremony. It’s an awards ceremony who has gained credibility by turning ‘music buyers’ to ‘decision makers’ giving them the power to decide on who gets nominated and who gets to win one of our coveted trophies. We have been accepting nominations all year round.

 Ras Kwame (UMA host/ BBC Radio 1) , Terri Walker (UMA host) & Ali Campbell (UB40)

Here are the 2007 nominees for the Kickers Urban Music Awards UK:

Best Reggae Act

Movado
Gappy Ranks
Elephant Man
Collie Buddz
Sean Paul
Kevin Lyttle

Best Underground DJ

The Mixologists
DJ Shedevil
Poser
Frisky
Scottie B
Cameo


Best Radio Station - sponsored by Redmango

BBC 1Xtra
Choice fm
Radio 1
Kiss fm
Colourful Radio
Galaxy fm


Best Jazz Act

Dennis Rollins
Soweto Kinch
Courtney Pine
Jamie Cullum
Norah Jones


Best Club Night sponsored by Kickers

Get Down
Play
Sintillate
Innovation
Twice as Nice


Best Neo Soul Act

Hill St. Soul
Corrinne Bailey Rae
Joss Stone
Tasha’s World
Nate James


Best Garage Act

Lethal B
N-Dubz
Wiley
J.M.E
Kano


Best Drum & Bass DJ/Act

Bailey
Shy FX
Roni Size
Fabio & Grooverider

Best Gospel Act

Four Cornerz
Raymond & Co
Nu-Life
Siani


Best Independent Record Label

679 Recordings
BBE Records
Jet Star
Altered Ego (Pickwick)
Big Dadda Recordings

Best UK Radio DJ

MannyNorte (BBC 1Xtra)
Shortee Blitz (Kiss 100)
Jenny Francis (Choice Fm)
DJ 279 (Choice fm)
Tim Westwood (BBC 1Xtra/Radio 1)
Masterstepz (Choice fm)

Best Album 2007

Alesha Dixon ‘Lipstick’ (Polydor Records)
Lemar ‘Truth about Love’ (SonyBMG)
Dizzee Rascal ‘Maths & English (XL Records)
Lily Allen ‘Allright Still’ (EMI/Parlophone Records)
Just Jack ‘Overtones’
Nate James ‘Kingdom Falls’

Best TV Show 2007 sponsored by Imperial Dax

Music Cool (T4/Channel 4)
Pimp My Ride UK (MTV Base)
The Illout Show (Channel U)
The Lick (MTV Base)
Popworld (T4/Channel 4)


Best Newcomer 2007 sponsored by Footlocker

Plan B
N-Dubz
Mr. Midas
Pyrelli
Tinchy Stryder
Natalie Williams

Best R&B Act 2007

Sadie Ama
Lemar
Jamelia
Mutya Buena
Nathan
Jay Sean

Best HipHop Act 2007

Plan B
Roots Manuva
Wiley
Sway
Blak Twang
Just Jack


Best Magazine

Touch Magazine
Blues & Soul
Young Voices
Vice
Pride
Flavor Magazine

Most Inspiring Act 2007 sponsored by Kickers

Sadie Ama
Mutya Buena
Dizzee Rascal
Cherry Blackstone
Jamelia
Kele le Roc

Best Website 2007

Myspace.com
Ukmusic.com
Urban-world.co.uk
Youtube.com
promotion city.com
majorfm.com
Everyurbanthing.com


Best Crossover Chart Act

Corrine Bailey Rae
Lily Allen
Mutya Buena
Mark Ronson
Just Jack
Raghav


Best Producer

Rishi Rich
Davinche
Mark Ronson
Sticky
Mike Skinner ‘The Beats’

Best Music Video sponsored by Kickers

Lemar ‘Someone should tell you’
Amy Winehouse ‘Rehab’
Dizzy Rascal ‘Sirens’
Natalie Williams ‘This Girl’
Jamelia ‘Something about you’

Best Entrepreneur 2007 sponsored by Kickers

Johnathan Shallit (Director, Shallit Global)
Mike Skinner (Director, the Beats)
Doug Cooper (Director, Ukmusic.com)
Tim Campbell (BBC1, Apprentice)
Terry Pullen (Director, the Play Room)




Important Contacts:

For IMG & general UMA info:
Charlie Simpson
Direct- 0208-525-4131
Email: charlie@urbanmusicawards.net

Chris Mitchell
T- 0207-078-7333
F- 0207-078-4884
Email: chris.mitchell@britishmusicweek.com

Direct: 0208-525-4131
E-mail: ainsley@invincibleusa.com

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