After a three-year hiatus from the limelight, TV and radio presenter Luthando “Lootlove” Shosha has made a strong comeback and this weekend, she will be hosting the South African Music Awards (Samas).
In April, she made her comeback to radio when she re-joined Metro FM co-hosting The Touch Down with Thabo “Tbo Touch” Molefe. In April, she hosted the Metro FM Awards in Mpumalanga with Tebogo “Proverb” Thekisho.
Now she's hosting the Samas and the Pre-Show after hosting the nomination announcement in October.
IOL caught up with the presenter between rehearsals before the big night. Reflecting on 2024, Shosha describes it as one of the best years of her life.
“I am extremely blessed that after taking a break for about three years, I get to have the kind of year that I'm having now.
“It started on a high. I couldn't have written a better script than God. I'm feeling very validated, I'm feeling very excited about life, to be honest, and excited about work.
“I'm experiencing new challenges, I'm on a drive time show, I've always done weekend shows and a drive time requires more and I'm challenged most beautifully. I'm working with somebody who is phenomenal on radio.
“I've got amazing support on air with my bosses as well off air and even with the live shows, I'm working with people I've worked with in the industry for the longest time.
“I cannot explain how this year unfolded in words, it's just emotions that I feel. It kind of reignited a flame in me to want to be more, especially at the age of 35. It's really beautiful that at this time, I can reintroduce myself, experience new ways and new journeys.”
Shosha will be working with two designers, for Industry Awards David Tlale and Otiz Seflo. Her look with Tlale is going to be extra special as it will be a paying homage to the late legendary South African singer-songwriter and actress Miriam Makeba.
“It's a beautiful story, it's a musical story, it's a fashion story. It's myself and David, two big, beautiful brands. We're paying homage to someone so iconic in our industry as a woman, as a musician, as a global superstar.”
Shosha will be wearing the first garment from Tlale’s collection as the designer for the Miriam Makeba Foundation.
Otiz Seflo and LootLove have worked together on several occasions. “Every time there's an awards season, Otis and I just make magic, we have fun. I let him really run crazy when it comes to his designs.”
“I'm nervous, and I just think it's a nice continuation of the story from hosting the nominee announcement just a couple of weeks ago and now obviously doing the industry awards.
“I'm excited, but because I love what I do. I'm nauseous half the time, but I'm really really excited. I think it's going to be big. It's going to be exciting and everybody's really in for a beautiful show.”
The South African Music Awards will be celebrating its 30th ceremony on November 1 and 2 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand.
“As a music commentator, I'm somebody who tells the stories of musicians at their beginning, their middle, their growth, their peak. It's been such a beautiful experience being part of that as a spectator,” says the broadcaster reflecting on the 30 years of the music industry.
“I think South Africans have so much to be proud of when it comes to the industry. If you look at just the f last 5 years alone, the industry has grown so much. It's opened up. It's become so global and just being part of telling the story, sharing the information has been powerful.”
She remembers when Live Amp made the switch to 100% local music, the initial shock that came with the announcement and the twist happened, as more of an explosion of local music took over.
“Not that it wasn't there, but everybody started falling in love with it more because the people who were telling the story, the people who had the news, the excitement of sharing it and making everybody else kind of fall in love with their own.
“It's been bubbling and bubbling since then and so exciting and beautiful.”
Lootlove teases that the industry awards will be a musician celebration of South Africa’s rich history; and beautiful musical moments.
“I think the most beautiful thing about music right now is how proud we are of the products that we are creating as South Africans. And therefore, that's led to the rest of the world completely falling in love with us.
“We are looking at ourselves with so much pride. We're backing our people up, it's a beautiful time to be a musician, an entertainer in South Africa”.
The SAMAs will be broadcast on SABC 1 at 8pm on November 2.
IOL Entertainment