Afrobeats superstars Davido, Burna Boy, Wizkid and Tiwa Savage are among the notable music stars nominated for the 2023 Trace Awards.
On Monday, music media company Trace revealed the nominees for the inaugural Trace Awards set to take place at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, on 21 October 2023.
The live event and global TV spectacular will celebrate the creativity, talent and influence of African and Afro-inspired music and culture, and is set to be broadcast live to some 500 million people in 190 countries.
Among those vying for the awards are artistes, 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.
Other notable Nigerians on the list include Odumodublvck, Oxlade, The Compozers, Moses Bliss, DJ Spinall, Olamide, BNXN, Show Dem Camp, and Nissi.
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.”
Competing in 22 award categories are platinum-selling artists from more than 30 countries in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and Europe. The winners’ trophy was designed by acclaimed Congolese sculptor and designer Dora Prevost.
Apart from musicians on the continent, the diverse music of the African diasporas is represented by acclaimed nominees from France, Brazil, the UK, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean, including Stormzy (UK), Aya Nakamura (France), Leo Santana (Brazil) and Shenseea (Jamaica), among others.
