Tiwa Savage, Asake, Wizkid, Bag Nominations for Newly Launched Trace Awards

Africa’s leading Afrobeats television network, Trace has unveiled its contenders for the Trace Awards. The first of its kind, the award show is scheduled to take place at the BK Arena in Kigali Rwanda on Oct.21.

The event will be televised on all Trace Channels as it aims to celebrate the incredible talents and creativity of African artists who are breaking barriers and pushing boundaries in their home countries and beyond. It will be televised in over 190 countries.

The award show aims to celebrate the diverse music genres shaping the world’s music scene such as Afrobeats, pop, amapiano, rap, rumba, R&B, dancehall, and hip-hop.

Leading the pack of artists in 22 award categories are Nigerian artists Tiwa Savage, Asake, Wizkid, Davido, Rema, Fireboy DML, Ayra Starr, and Burna Boy with over 40 nominations in total. The award show’s nominations pool, however, does not exclude artists from outside Africa. It cuts across talented artists from the United Kingdom, the United States, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, France, and Brazil.

In a press release, Trace chairman and co-founder, Oliver Laouchez had this to say about the award show: “The Trace Awards’ nominations salute achievement and excellence from more than 150 performers, producers, DJs, writers, composers, directors, established artists, and rising stars, and their management and labels. We congratulate all the nominees, most of whom will attend and perform in Kigali on 21 October. It will be an unmissable experience for lovers of African and Afro-inspired music.”

Below is the full list of nominees:

Album of the Year

• DNK – Aya Nakamura (France)
• Love Damini – Burna Boy (Nigeria)
• Maverick – Kizz Daniel (Nigeria)
• More Love, Less Ego – Wizkid (Nigeria)
• Timeless – Davido (Nigeria)
• Work of Art – Asake (Nigeria)

Song of the Year

• BKBN – Soraia Ramos (Cape Verde)
• People – Libianca (Cameroon)
• Suavemente – Soolking (France)
• Encre – Emma’a (Gabon)
• Sugarcane – Camidoh (Ghana)
• Last Last – Burna Boy (Nigeria)
• Rush – Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
• Calm Down – Rema (Nigeria)
• Peru – Fireboy DML (Nigeria) with Ed Sheeran (UK)
• Sete – K.O (South Africa)
• Cough – Kizz Daniel (Nigeria)
• MORTEL 06 – Innoss’B (Ivory Coast)

Best Male

• Asake (Nigeria)
• Burna Boy (Nigeria)
• Davido (Nigeria)
• Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
• Didi B (Ivory Coast)
• K.O (South Africa)
• Rema (Nigeria)

Best Female

• Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
• Josey (Ivory Coast)
• Nadia Mukami (Kenya)
• Soraia Ramos (Cape Verde)
• Tiwa Savage (Nigeria)
• Viviane Chidid (Senegal)

Best Music Video

• 2 Sugar – Wizkid (Nigeria) ft. Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
• Baddie – Yemi Alade (Nigeria)
• Kpaflotage – Suspect 95 (Ivory Coast)
• Loaded – Tiwa Savage (Nigeria) & Asake (Nigeria)
• Ronda – Blxckie (South Africa)
• Tombolo – Kalash (Martinique)
• Yatapita – Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)

Best Newcomer (Sponsored by Maison Martell)

• Azawi (Uganda)
• Krys M (Cameroon)
• Libianca (Cameroon)
• Nissi (Nigeria)
• Odumodublvck (Nigeria)
• Pabi Cooper (South Africa)
• Roselyne Layo (Ivory Coast)

Best Collaboration (Sponsored by Maison Martell)

• Many Ways – BNXN (Nigeria) with Wizkid (Nigeria)
• Mine – Show Dem Camp (Nigeria) with Oxlade (Nigeria)
• Peru – Fireboy DML (Nigeria) with Ed Sheeran (UK)
• Second Sermon – Black Sherif (Ghana) with Burna Boy (Nigeria)
• Sete – K.O (South Africa) with Young Stunna (South Africa), Blxckie (South Africa)
• Stamina – Tiwa Savage with Ayra Starr (Nigeria) & Young Jonn (Nigeria)
• Trumpet – Olamide (Nigeria) with Ckay (Nigeria)
• Unavailable – Davido (Nigeria) with Musa Keys (South Africa)

Best DJ

• Danni Gato (Cape Verde)
• DJ BDK (Ivory Coast)
• DJ Illans (France)
• DJ Spinall (Nigeria)
• Michael Brun (Haiti)
• Uncle Waffles (Swaziland)

Best Producer

• DJ Maphorisa (South Africa)
• Juls (Ghana)
• Kabza de Small (South Africa)
• Kel-P (Nigeria)
• Tamsir (Ivory Coast)

Best Gospel Artist

• Benjamin Dube (South Africa)
• Janet Otieno (Kenya)
• KS Bloom (Ivory Coast)
• Levixone (Uganda)
• Moses Bliss (Nigeria)

Best Live

• Burna Boy (Nigeria)
• Fally Ipupa (DRC)
• Musa Keys (South Africa)
• The Compozers (Nigeria)
• Wizkid (Nigeria)
• Yemi Alade (Nigeria)

Best Dancer

• Robot Boii (South Africa)
• Tayc (France)
• Uganda Ghetto Kids (Uganda)
• Yemi Alade (Nigeria)
• Zuchu (Tanzania)

Best Artist Africa – Anglophone

• Asake (Nigeria)
• Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
• Black Sherif (Ghana)
• Davido (Nigeria)
• Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
• Fireboy DML (Nigeria)

Best Artist Africa – Francophone

• Didi B (Ivory Coast)
• Emma’a (Gabon)
• Fally Ipupa (DRC)
• KO-C (Cameroon)
• Locko (Cameroon)
• Serge Beynaud (Ivory Coast)
• Viviane Chidid (Senegal)

Best Artist Africa – Lusophone

• Gerilson Insrael (Angola)
• Lisandro Cuxi (Cape Verde)
• Perola (Angola)
• Plutonio (Mozambique)
• Soraia Ramos (Cape Verde)

Best Artist – Rwanda

• Ariel Wayz (Rwanda)
• Bruce Melodie (Rwanda)
• Bwiza (Rwanda)
• Chriss Eazy (Rwanda)
• Kenny Sol (Rwanda)

Best Artist – France & Belgium

• Aya Nakamura (France)
• Booba (France)
• Nihno (France)
• Ronisia (France)
• Soolking (France)
• Tayc (France)

Best Artist – UK

• Central Cee (UK)
• Headie One (UK)
• Ms Banks (UK)
• Raye (UK)
• Stormzy (UK)

Best Artist – The Caribbean

• Admiral T (Guadeloupe)
• Bamby (French Guiana)
• Kalash (Martinique)
• Maureen (Martinique)
• Popcaan (Jamaica)
• Princess Lover (Martinique)
• Rutshelle Guillaume (Haiti)
• Shenseea (Jamaica)

Best Artist – Indian Ocean

• Donovan BTS (Mauritius)
• GaEi (Madagascar)
• Goulam (Comoros)
• Mikl (Reunion)
• Sega el (Reunion)
• Terell Elymoor (Mayotte)

Best Artist – North Africa

• Amira Zouhair (Morocco)
• Artmasta (Tunisia
• Dystinct (Morocco
• ElGrandeToto (Morocco)
• Kader Japonais (Algeria)
• Raja Meziane (Algeria)