Trace Awards & Festival 2023

Trace Awards & Festival 2023
Trace Awards & Festival 2023
Date	21 October 2023
Location	Kigali, Rwanda
Presented by	TRACE Media Group
Hosted by	D'banj; Maria Borges;
Most awards	Davido (2); Rema (2);
Most nominations	Davido (4); Burna Boy (4);
Television/radio coverage
Network	Trace Urban; Trace Africa; Trace Toca; Trace Tropical; Trace Mziki; Trace FM;
	Trace Awards & Festival

To celebrate 20 years of promoting and supporting African and Afro-inspired music, Trace staged the 1st Trace Awards & Festival at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda on 21 October 2023. The show was televised live to 350 million viewers and music fans around the world on Trace channels in 180 countries.^[1]

Date21 October 2023

LocationKigali, Rwanda

Presented byTRACE Media Group

Hosted by

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The nominees for the Awards were announced on 21 August 2023, with fans voting online.

Davido and Burna Boy led the nominations with four nominations each. Asake, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr, Yemi Alade, and Fireboy DML, all received three nominations each. Rema and Davido had the highest award winnings at the maiden edition by securing 2 awards each at the ceremony.^[2] The event hosts were D'banj and Maria Borges. The Trace Awards honors African outstanding achievements in African and Afro-inspired music and culture.

[1]

[2]

Best Male	Best Female
Davido (Nigeria) Asake (Nigeria) Burna Boy (Nigeria) Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania) Didi B (Ivory Coast) K.O (South Africa) Rema (Nigeria)	Viviane Chidid (Senegal) Ayra Starr (Nigeria) Josey (Ivory Coast) Nadia Mukami (Kenya) Soraia Ramos (Cape Verde) Tiwa Savage (Nigeria)
Song of the Year	Best Music Video
"Calm Down" – Rema (Nigeria) & Selena Gomez (US) "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) "Peru" – Fireboy DML (Nigeria) with Ed Sheeran (UK) "Sete" – K.O (South Africa) "Cough" – Kizz Daniel (Nigeria) MORTEL 06 – Innoss'B (Ivory Coast)	"Baddie" – Yemi Alade (Nigeria) "2 Sugar" – Wizkid (Nigeria) ft. Ayra Starr (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	Best Collaboration
Roseline Layo (Ivory Coast) Azawi (Uganda) Krys M (Cameroon) Libianca (Cameroon) Nissi Ogulu (Nigeria) Odumodublvck (Nigeria) Pabi Cooper (South Africa)	"Unavailable" – Davido (Nigeria) with Musa Keys (South Africa) "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 (Nigeria) with Ayra Starr (Nigeria) & Young Jonn (Nigeria) "Trumpet" – Olamide (Nigeria) with CKay (Nigeria)
Best DJ	Best Producer
Michael Brun (Haiti) Danni Gato (Cape Verde) DJ BDK (Ivory Coast) DJ Illans (France) Spinall (Nigeria) Uncle Waffles (Swaziland)	Tamsir (Ivory Coast) DJ Maphorisa (South Africa) Juls (Ghana) Kabza de Small (South Africa) Kel-P (Nigeria)
Best Gospel Artist	Best Live
KS Bloom (Ivory Coast) Benjamin Dube (South Africa) Janet Otieno (Kenya) Levixone (Uganda) Moses Bliss (Nigeria)	Fally Ipupa (DRC) Burna Boy (Nigeria) Musa Keys (South Africa) The Compozers (Ghana) Wizkid (Nigeria) Yemi Alade (Nigeria)
Best Dancer	Best Artist Africa - Anglophone
Robot Boii (South Africa) Tayc (France) Ghetto Kids (Uganda) Yemi Alade (Nigeria) Zuchu (Tanzania)	Asake (Nigeria) Ayra Starr (Nigeria) Black Sherif (Ghana) Davido (Nigeria) Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania) Fireboy DML (Nigeria)
Best Artist Africa - Francophone	Best Artist Africa - Lusophone
Didi B (Ivory Coast) Emma'a (Gabon) Fally Ipupa (DRC) Ko-c (Cameroon) Locko (Cameroon) Serge Beynaud (Ivory Coast) Viviane Chidid (Senegal)	Lisandro Cuxi (Cape Verde) Gerilson Insrael (Angola) Pérola (Angola) Plutonio (Mozambique) Soraia Ramos (Cape Verde)
Best Artist - Rwanda	Best Artist - East Africa
Bruce Melodie (Rwanda) Ariel Wayz (Rwanda) Bwiza (Rwanda) Chriss Eazy (Rwanda) Kenny Sol (Rwanda)	Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania) Bruce Melodie (Rwanda) Zuchu (Tanzania) Khaligraph Jones (Kenya) Nadia Mukani (Kenya) Azawi (Uganda)
Best Artist - France & Belgium	Best Artist - UK
Tayc (France) Aya Nakamura (France) Booba (France) Nihno (France) Ronisia (France) Soolking (France)	Central Cee (UK) Headie One (UK) Ms Banks (UK) Raye (UK) Stormzy (UK)
Best Artist - The Caribbean	Best Artist - Indian Ocean
Rutshelle Guillaume (Haiti) Admiral T (Guadeloupe) Bamby (French Guiana) Kalash (Martinique) Maureen (Martinique) Popcaan (Jamaica) Princess Lover (Martinique) Shenseea (Jamaica)	Goulam (Comoros) Donovan BTS (Mauritius) GaEi (Madagascar) Mikl (Reunion) Sega el (Reunion) Terell Elymoor (Mayotte)
Best Artist - Brazil	Best Artist - North Africa
Ludmilla (Brazil) Djonga (Brazil) Iza (Brazil) Léo Santana (Brazil) Luedji Luna (Brazil)	Dystinct (Morocco) Amira Zouhair (Morocco) Artmasta (Tunisia) ElGrandeToto (Morocco) Kader Japonais (Algeria) Raja Meziane (Algeria)
Album of the Year	ChangeMaker
Love, Damini – Burna Boy (Nigeria) DNK – Aya Nakamura (France) Maverick – Kizz Daniel (Nigeria) More Love, Less Ego – Wizkid (Nigeria) Timeless – Davido (Nigeria) Work of Art – Asake (Nigeria)	Mr Eazi (Nigeria)

Trace Awards & Festival 2023

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