They sang, we danced, and now we award them

Artiste of the Year: Vinka

It has been eight years since Veronica Lugya, alias Vinka, took up the microphone to sing. It has been eight years of waiting. What started off as a trial has manifested into a success story for so many in the music industry. Having been a manager for Irene Ntale, Vinka learned everything and forgot nothing. She has pushed and challenged herself as an artiste and it is paying off. Vinka managed to soft launch the career of Dax Vibez through their collaboration, Believe, which has so far garnered 1.1 million YouTube views in two months. But she has also dominated the airwaves with her own single, Bailando, which has so far been viewed 4.4 million times on YouTube. Checkecha, a song she features, has 3.7 million views on YouTube and more than 280,000 streams on Spotify. In this category, we considered artistes like Alien Skin, Fik Fameica, Spice Diana, Sheebah Karungi, and Azawi.

Female Artiste of the Year: Vinka

The formula is easy; you need about two songs and a collaboration to conquer Uganda. Vinka had a single and three collaborations. She submitted her song Bailando for Grammy Award consideration, and according to reliable sources, she made it to the last stage of vetting.

Producer of the Year: Daddy André

There was a time Daddy Andre had chosen to concentrate on being an artiste that we almost forgot he was such a brilliant producer. This year, however, he reminded us he still chops and makes beats, giving Ugandans songs such as Eddy Kenzo’s Balipila Boda, Bentiboys’ Wanawankya, and Vinka’s Bailando, among others. Other producers considered were Bangerboi, who’s been behind Swangz Avenue’s projects, from Azawi to Zafaran; Axon, the man responsible for Joshua Baraka’s singles and EP; and one that needs no introduction, Nessim.

Song of the Year: Bailando

There is a lot that goes into picking a song of the year; it is not necessarily about a hit or famous song. But coincidentally, the two frontrunners here were widely popular. Vinka’s Bailando and Joshua Baraka’s Nana. Bailando, Daddy Andre’s meticulous outing, is one of the best he has given Ugandans in a long time. The song captures Vinka’s energy while throwing people into a party mood without resolve. And it was also such an ambitious song, submitted for two Grammy Award considerations. The song also has that longevity; it remained fresh for nearly nine months.

Breakthrough Artiste of the Year: Joshua Baraka

Besides Nana and its corresponding remix, Joshua Baraka has been a breath of fresh air in the music industry. His sound and ideology are what the industry needs, even when we don’t know it yet. Nana is a hybrid between Afrobeats, R&B, and dancehall; it’s almost an answer to all the Nigerian and Tanzanian music we have consumed for years. Baraka is not your usual Ugandan artiste who seeks media attention for everything he achieves. He has used 2023 as a year to benchmark for greater things ahead. This year, Nana was Uganda’s most exported Ugandan song on Spotify, and his new EP, Growing Pains, has been streamed more than a million times in less than a month.

Video of the Year: Nothing

This is one of the hardest categories since most Ugandan videos are never scripted. Thus, finding a video that makes sense and is intentional is such a hard thing to do. Our video of the year is, however, Elijah Kitaka’s Nothing. Shot entirely indoors, the video capitalises on Afrocentricism, tribal masks, and dances to create an identity for itself. The video’s biggest strength is the costuming and production design departments; they capture your imagination into the world they build for the artiste. It is a video you will think about even after the song is done. Other songs in consideration here were Joshua Baraka’s Nana, Ykee Benda’s Kyani, Maurice Kirya’s Sejjiga, and Kenneth Mugabi’s Underwraps.

Concert of the Year: World of Sound and People of the Land

It is hard to think about the concerts in Uganda last year that did not annoy the audience in one way or another. But then there are these two concerts: World of Sound by Myko Ouma and People of the Land by Kenneth Mugabi. You could call one an extension of the other; pure music and no gimmicks—the two shows were a breath of fresh air. Mugabi was highly anticipated, and Ouma literally just showed up and gave people a good time. It is hard to forget how these two shows made you feel. Other concerts considered include Strings of Love by Aziz Azion, Boyz II Men’s concert, and the Sankofa concert.

Male Artiste of the Year: Alien Skin

Alien Skin is a student of Bebe Cool. He has mastered the art of keeping the audience guessing with his words. From one interview to the next, the proven outsider will always say something that will ruffle feathers in one way or another. For the music, we can’t deny that his single, Party, was one of the most played songs on Ugandan airwaves last year. He has turned social media into his playground, releasing songs whenever he feels like and addressing masses outside the traditional media spaces but on TikTok. Unfortunately, Alien Skin’s greatest strength in 2023 came from a negative source; a fight between him and Pallaso sped up his rise. The altercation resulted in an imprumptu concert, a very successful one. Only months later, he was already fighting many of the people who supported that particular concert.

Album of the year: Sankofa

Azawi’s follow-up album, Sankofa, is intentional and a story of her life. Unlike most Ugandan albums, Sankofa presents life as it is: a party and celebration, but at times hard and sad. It is proof that life can’t be just a single rhythm, but a set of beats. The album captures her aspirations and struggles with relationships. Other albums considered here were Blessings by Eddy Kenzo, Joshua Baraka’s Growing Pains, and Elijah Kitaka’s Bedroom Essentials.

Collaboration of the Year: Believe

This was fresh—Bobi Wine’s young brother Dax Vibez taking on the industry in a very unlikely way—an inspiration song. Most of Uganda’s collaborations are expected; Sheebah and Fik Fameica are predictable and almost expected. It is almost the same thing with other collaborations last year; they almost sounded like they had been heard before, but believe it or not. Dax and Vinka gave Ugandans a song that was so simple yet very different and memorable. Other notables here were Karole Kasita, Winnie Nwagi, and Vinka’s Chekecha; Fik Fameica and Sheebah’s Bwe Paba; Mudra and Ava Peace’s Shabada; Hatim and Donkey; Sheebah; Fefe Busi; and Vampino’s Did I Die; and Joshua Baraka, Joeboy, Bien, and King Promise’s Nana Remix.