UKZN Alumna Wins SAMA Record of the Year

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House musician, Ms Holly Wasserfall, aka Holly Rey, took home the Record of the Year award for her song Deeper at the 25^th South African Music Awards (SAMAs) at the Sun City Superbowl. The award is voted for by the public.

Rey studied media and communication at UKZN, graduating cum laude with her degree, earlier this year.

Speaking at the SAMAs, Rey said, ‘We mobilised a country to validate the hopes of every young kid who has a dream. This award belongs to all the kids I have met along the way who reminded me of myself and what I started 10 years ago. Believe! Thank you to the entire Kumisa Artist Management Master Class of 2019 for getting behind this campaign and supporting my win. We did it!’

Rey has also received a Platinum Certification from the Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA) for her hit single, Deeper, hitting the 3.5 million streams mark. Says Rey, ‘House isn’t a genre, it’s a culture and it’s one that I embrace.’

She is currently working on fresh material for release over the coming months. What is emerging in the studio and from her writing sessions pushes the musical boundaries of Deeper while building on the song’s resonance with music fans from all backgrounds. ‘I’m not trying to be something that I’m not,’ Rey says. ‘Deeper was not about getting on the House bandwagon but about giving expression, through a love song, to the music that I feel the deepest connection to and my new music builds on that.’

She considers House music to be about love. ‘I try to write music that challenges the traditional views of love and promotes a more empowered mindset for women. This year I intend to maintain my independence as an artist and continue to blaze a trail for women artists in the industry,’ she said.

Words: Melissa Mungroo

Photograph: Supplied