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Davido, Burna Boy, Wizkid lead maiden Trace Awards nominations.
Here is the full list of nominees for the 2023 Trace Awards, which includes Afrobeats artists Davido, Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Tiwa Savage among other noteworthy musicians.
The first-ever Trace Awards will be held at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, on October 21, 2023, and the nominees were announced by the music media company Trace on Monday.
The live event and international TV extravaganza, which will honour the originality, talent, and influence of music and culture with African and Afro-inspired influences, is scheduled to be televised live to some 500 million viewers in 190 countries.
Among those vying for the awards are artists, music producers, DJs, writers, composers, directors, and record labels.
Leading the nominees are West African artists, particularly Nigerian musicians, who dominate the Afrobeats scene with more than 40 nominations in total – including multiple nomination categories for Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Davido, WizKid, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, Fireboy DML and Rema.
Davido and Burna Boy bagged four nominations each in categories such as ‘Best Male’, ‘Song of the Year’, ‘Best Live’, ‘Best Collaboration’, ‘Best Artist’, and ‘Album of the Year’.
The music stars were followed by Asake, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr, Yemi Alade, and Fireboy DML, who grabbed three nominations each, while Rema and Kizz Daniel earned two nods each.
Odumodublvck, Oxlade, The Compozers, Moses Bliss, DJ Spinall, Olamide, BNXN, Show Dem Camp, and Nissi are among the other noteworthy Nigerians on the list.
Speaking about the awards, Trace chairman and co-founder Olivier Laouchez said: “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.”
Platinum-selling musicians from more than 30 nations in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and Europe are vying for awards in 22 different categories. Renowned Congolese artist and designer Dora Prevost created the winners’ trophy.
Along with nominees from the continent, the various music of the African diasporas is also represented by well-regarded artists from France, Brazil, the UK, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean, such as Shenseea from Jamaica, Stormzy from the UK, Aya Nakamura from France, and Leo Santana from Brazil.
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See the full nomination list below:
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)
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 Music Video
“2 Sugar” – Wizkid (Nigeria) feat. 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
Azawi (Uganda)
Krys M (Cameroon)
Libianca (Cameroon)
Nissi (Nigeria)
Odumodublvck (Nigeria)
Pabi Cooper (South Africa)
Roseline Layo (Ivory Coast)
Best Collaboration
“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 – Anglohone
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 – Brazil
Djonga (Brazil)
Iza (Brazil)
Leo Santana (Brazil)
Ludmilla (Brazil)
Luedji Luna (Brazil)
Best Artist – North Africa
Amira Zouhair (Morocco)
Artmasta (Tunisia)
Dystinct (Morocco)
El Grande Toto (Morocco)
Kader Japonais (Algeria)
Raja Meziane (Algeria)
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)