Women Rule at 2008 Mobo Awards

Biggest night for UK's Urban Music Scene is all about the Girls

Oct 18, 2008

Two of the UK's top female acts dominate this years Mobo Awards, even though the lack of some of the big winners upset the crowd at Wembley Arena.

Wembley Arena (London, UK) played host to the 2008 MOBO Awards this week, which was attended by a who's who of the music industry on both sides of the Atlantic. But with two of the biggest winners absent from the festivities, the crowd were quick to voice their disdain by booing those who were appointed to collect awards in their absence.

Leona Lewis in NYC

Due to an appearance in New York at a private invite event only Leona Lewis was unable to collect her two awards of the night. The X Factor winner won Best Video Award for Bleeding Love and her debut album Spirit also came out on top in the Best Album category.

The platinum selling album Spirit boasts the number one smash hit Bleeding Love that soared on charts all over the world. In her absence, 80's pop star and close friend of Simon Cowell who launched Lewis's music career after she won the X Factor in 2006, Sinitta. The crowd however were not impressed by Lewis’s lack of presence and their consistent ‘booing,’ a trait quite common at the MOBO Awards for ‘no-shows,’ drowned out the acceptance speech delivered by Sinitta.

Also failing to attend to receive his award for Best Male Artist was Dizze Rascal who heated up the airwaves this Summer with his track Dance Wiv Me featuring Calvin Harris.

Estelle’s Night

Even though there was a lack of presence from the main winners including Chris Brown who nabbed the Best International Act and Lil Wayne who secured Best Hip-Hop Act, one artist who made it her priority to be in attendance was Estelle.

The London based singer who performed alongside her label boss John Legend at the award ceremony was victorious in two of the five categories she was nominated for. Winning Best Single for her Summer smash American Boy featuring Chicago rapper Kanye West, she also proved she is the force to be reckoned with as far as females go in the UK, securing Best Female. In an interview with the BBC, Estelle summarized what a Mobo means to her, “The Mobo is a great award, recognized by the kids and the people who understand my music and who get the music that we do.”

Unfortunately Estelle didn’t get chance to celebrate her wins as she had to leave for California the next morning on an early morning flight, where she was scheduled to perform the very next day.

Main Winners of the 2008 Mobo Awards

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