All eyes are on DJ Hlo as she wins Ukhozi FM song of the year

After years of causing controversy, the Ukhozi FM song of the year (Ingoma Ehlukanisa Unyaka) campaign has finally taken quite an amusing turn in 2021 in that no one seems to know the song that came out tops.

Ingoma Ehlukanisa Unyaka (the song that will ring in the new year) is an annual campaign that sees South Africans from all walks of life drop everything they’re doing and tune into Ukhozi FM to find out what the song of the year is. This time around, they spent the first day of 2022 trying to find out who the artist behind the song of the year is.

What is the song of the year 2021

According to the station, the Ukhozi FM song of the year for 2021 is a song called Isbani by an artist called DJ Hlo. The song received 214,966 votes overall.

A song called Wena Nkosi by Jumbo came in second with 141,647 votes while Uthando Lwami by Ama Siblings featuring DJ Mngadi came in third.

This result left listeners and social media users alike with all sorts of questions and comments.

READ: Ukhozi FM’s song of the year sparks tribalism debate

According to the station, Ingoma Ehlukanisa Unyaka is determined by which song gets the most votes from listeners. Voting closed at 12 noon on Friday, December 31, 2021.

DJ Hlo’s Isbani is the song that got the most votes according to the station and it was declared the Ukhozi FM song of the year and played during the “cross over” period into 2022.

Ukhozi FM top 10 songs of the year 2021

Here are the songs that were competing for the Ukhozi FM song of the year title as well as the number of votes each song received, according to Ukhozi.

1. Isbani by DJ Hlo – 214,966 votes
2. Wena Nkosi by Jumbo – 141,647 votes
3. Uthando Lwami by Ama Siblings featuring DJ Mngadi – 79,162 votes
4. Khula by Bello featuring Gallo – 50,936 votes
5. Umuzi eSandton by BigZulu – 40,398 votes
6. Asibe Happy by Kabza de Small featuring DJ Maphorisa and Ami Faku – 17,696 votes
7. Adiwele by Young Stunna – 16,802 votes
8. Osama by Zakes Bantiwini – 16,484 votes
9. Ganama by Makhadzi -15,308 votes
10. Izolo by DJ Maphorisa – 8,266 votes

Who is DJ Hlo?

According to her website, DJ Hlo (real name Hlosiwe Mthalane) is a 24-year-old Durban-born Amapiano DJ and she can now add “Ukhozi FM song of the year” to her resumé.

“Her love for music started at the age of seven. DJ Hlo holds a Bachelor of Social Science degree from University of Kwa-Zulu Natal’s Howard College” and she majored in industrial psychology and management.

She lists fellow musicians DJ Zinhle and Brenda Fassie among her influences and also looks to authors like Sylvia Plath and Haruki Murakami for inspiration.

For 2022, the artist is said to be looking forward to finally putting her debut album out in the world.

“I just hope that it brings something positive to people, especially because we’re putting it out during this time of chaos and collapse and confusion,” she said.

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