The Trace Awards went down over the weekend at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
Kenya's very own Nadia Mukami and gospel star Janet Otieno performed at the event.
Davido took home the prizes for Best Male, and shared Best Collaboration with South Africa’s Musa Keys for “Unavailable”.
Rema scored in the Global African Artist, and Song of the Year categories, with “Calm Down”.
“Love Damini” by Burna Boy scored the prize for Best Album and Vivian Chidid received the plaudits for Best Female.
The Best Artist - East Africa was won by Diamond Platnumz, while Rwandan local hero Bruce Melodie triumphed in the Best Rwandan Artist category.
Recognising his long and storied music career, Nigeria’s 2Face took home the prize for Lifetime Achievement.
Yemi Alade’s hit “Baddie” took home the prize for Best Video. Music maker and entrepreneur, Mr Eazi, took home a special ChangeMarker award for his philanthropic work.
Competing in 26 award categories were Africa and Afro-inspired artists from more than thirty countries in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and Europe.
Olivier Laouchez, Chairman and Co-Founder of Trace, commented, “Tonight has been a triumphant demonstration of the power and creativity of African and African-origin artists. All the nominees and performers at the Trace Awards underlined exactly why African contemporary music has become a global phenomenon. We congratulate all the nominees, winners and performers for their achievements and for demonstrating their talent, imagination and creativity to a global audience.”
On the night, the BK Arena throbbed to contemporary rhythms and vibes from across Africa and the African diaspora.
Fronted by Afrobeat legend D’Banj and Angolan supermodel Maria Borges, the Trace Awards featured performances and collaborations from 50+ stars, melding Afrobeat with Bongo Flava, Coupé Decalé, Soukouss, Rap, Rai, Gospel and more.
