The UK’s most prestigious celebration of Black music and culture – the MOBO Awards – announced their 2021 nominees, ahead of the Awards’ return as a live show extravaganza on Sunday 5 December at Coventry Building Society Arena.
MOBO partner s with YouTube and BBC for the second consecutive year to bring the Awards to a global audience. The ceremony will be live-streamed on YouTube on 5 December. BBC One will broadcast a special behind-the-scenes show which will include exclusive backstage content and never-before-seen performances and interviews from the award ceremony. BBC Radio 1Xtra will also be covering the awards starting on Monday 6 December, DJ Target will dedicate his weekday shows (7-9pm) to the MOBO Awards 2021 bringing listeners the hottest performances and exclusive interviews with this year’s nominees and winners.
DAVE, CENTRAL CEE, GHETTS AND HEADIE ONE LEAD 2021 NOMINATIONS
RAP MAVERICK DAVE LEADS THE PACK WITH 5 NOMINATIONS – INCLUDING BEST MALE ACT, ALBUM OF THE YEAR AND SONG OF THE YEAR
LITTLE SIMZ, ARLO PARKS AND CLEO SOL SCORE 3 NOMINATIONS EACH – INCLUDING BEST FEMALE ACT and ALBUM OF THE YEAR
BACKROAD GEE, ENNY, JOY CROOKES AND PINKPANTHERESS EARN BEST NEWCOMER NOMINATIONS WIZKID, TEMS, AYRA STARR AND REMA NOMINATED FOR BEST AFRICAN ACT
DAMSON IDRIS and DANIEL KALUUYA SCORE BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV SHOW/FILM NOMINATIONS
Dave, an artist who is undeniably a pivotal voice in the contemporary landscape of UK music leads the 2021 MOBO Awards nominations. The 23-year-old South London MC has picked up a staggering five nominations: Best Male Act, Best Hip Hop Act, Album of The Year for the critically-acclaimed “We’re All Alone In This Together”, Song Of The Year – in association with Coventry Building Society for ‘Clash’ featuring Stormzy, and Video Of The Year for his Fredo collaboration ‘Money Talks’.
The awe-inspiring Little Simz has been quietly celebrated and adorned for years but it was finally with 2021’s “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert” that the dexterous MC finally started receiving the recognition deserving of her stature. Simz scores a hattrick of nominations: Best Female Act, Best Hip Hop Act, and Video of The Year for ‘Woman’.
Arlo Parks rounds up a year filled with phenomenal success as she scores three MOBO nominations for Best Newcomer – in association with ASOS, Best Female Act, and Album of The Year for her effortlessly breath-taking debut album “Collapsed In Sunbeams”. Soul siren Cleo Sol, the vocalist behind SAULT, has received universal acclaim for her latest album “Mother” and its contemplative, intimate and shimmering take on classic soul, family and interpersonal relationships. Cleo is in the running this year for Best R&B/Soul Act, Best Female Act, and Album of The Year.
London rapper Central Cee, whose trajectory to stardom this past year has been near historic, makes a strong MOBO debut with four nominations: Best Male Act, Song Of The Year – in association with Coventry Building Society for ‘Commitment Issues’, Best Newcomer – in association with ASOS and Best Drill Act – in association with Trench. Meanwhile imperial Grime veteran Ghetts, who made a momentous comeback with his timely and incisive body of work “Conflict Of Interest”, earns three nominations for Best Male Act, Best Grime Act, and Album Of The Year.
In a move that shows that MOBO is forever one step ahead their contemporaries, this year marks the arrival of the inaugural award for Best Drill Act – in association with Trench – recognising the cultural and urgent force that the genre has become over the last few years. The crop of MCs who make up the first-ever round of nominees in this category include ‘King Of Drill’ Headie One who is also one of this year’s most nominated, in addition to Tion Wayne, Unknown T, Digga D, M1llionz and more.
Coventry rapper Pa Salieu scores two MOBO nominations in the year the Awards is hosted in his home city. The hotly-tipped rising star is up for Song of The Year – in association with Coventry Building Society and Video of The Year for ‘My Family’ featuring BackRoad Gee.
Wizkid and Tems earn Best African Act nominations, suitably following this year’s global smash ‘Essence’. The category also includes rising stars Ayra Starr and Ckay, in addition to mainstays like Burna Boy, Rema and Davido, showing the ongoing integration of African music into the mainstream.