As part of marking its 20th anniversary, Trace – which is a global multimedia platform dedicated to Hip Hop and Afro-centric cultures and to empowerment of young people, women, and creators -, will be launching Trace Awards & Festival. The music powerhouse’s new live Awards Ceremony and Festival will be aimed at celebrating the creativity, cool and confidence of African and Afro-inspired music and culture around the world.
Trace engages with over 350 million fans across 180 countries including East Africa region countries – Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi – being part of 290 million fans in Africa. Focusing on a global spotlight on musicians, creators, entrepreneurs and achievers from across Africa and the African diaspora, the Trace Awards & Festival will take place in Kigali, Rwanda from Friday 20 to Saturday 21 October 2023, in partnership with Martell, Visit Rwanda, Rwanda Air, Rwanda Broadcasting Agency and QA Venue Solutions Rwanda, the venue management company of BK Arena. The event will be segmented into different segments and it will comprise of a 3-hour live televised spectacular music ceremony, followed by a 2-day cultural festival designed to entertain and empower music creators and fans.
The Trace Awards and Festival will featuring performances from the biggest African and Afro-descent artists in the world and will be staged at East Africa’s biggest indoor arena, BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, in front of over 7,500 music fans, musicians, opinion formers, style-setters and influencers from Africa and around the globe. The Awards will recognize a broad range of music genres from Afrobeat, Dancehall, Afro-pop, Mbalax, Amapiano, Zouk, Kizomba, Genge, Coupé Décalé, Bongo Flava, Soukous, Gospel, Rap, Kompa, R&B, to Rumba, while saluting artists in a number of cultural/lifestyle categories. The Trace Awards will be broadcasted live on Trace channels in more than 180 countries around the world and it will also be featured on Trace terrestrial TV partners and satellite channels around the world.
The awards will be categorized into 4 categories namely;
Global Categories
- Song of the year
- Best music video
- Best Album
- Best Collaboration
- Best DJ
- Best dancer
Pan-African Categories
- Best male artist
- Best female artist
- Best newcomer
- Best Gospel artist
- Best Producer
- Best Live
Regional Categories
- Africa Anglo
- Africa Franco
- Africa Luso
- North Africa
- Rwanda
Artists from diaspora
- Brazil
- Caribbean
- France and Belgium
- Indian Ocean
- UK