Music Media Giant TRACE has announced the nominations for its maiden edition of the Trace Awards scheduled to take place in Kigali, Rwanda in October.

5 of Cameroon’s artistes picked up nominations for the Trace Awards. They include:

• Best Dancer: Tayc
• Best Artiste (Francophone Africa ): Locko, Ko-c
• Best Newcomer: Krys M, Libianca
• Song of the Year: People (Libianca)
• Artiste from the Diasporas (France & Belgium): Tayc

The Trace Awards & Festival is scheduled to take place at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda from the 20th to 22nd of October 2023.

The event will be bringing together from North, South, East and West the best Artistes from the entire African continent who have showcased an excellence in Afro-centric music in numerous genres such as Afrobeats, Rumba, Zouk, Amapiano, Hip Hop, Gospel, Bongo Flavia, Coupé Décalé, R&B and Rap.

Below are the full list of nominees for TRACE AWARDS

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

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

Voting is OPEN: https://trace.plus/awards/