Artiste of the Year: None
Do you remember a story in this publication a story that said 2024 has been horrible for music? Well, it is hard picking out one artiste as truly outstanding this year.
Some artistes did well but were overshadowed by mediocrity and vulgarity, which was heavily pushed by some media houses. Mainstream music has been so bad that it took the intervention of two governments, Buganda and Uganda to technically ban the music.
Male artiste of the year: Joshua Baraka
This was close between Elijah Kitaka and Joshua Baraka, and it came down to this. Joshua Baraka is not your ordinary local artist, he’s not out there clout chasing or seeking attention; he makes music. But the most important thing is that Baraka is truly exporting Ugandan music; this year, he has been relentless about taking his sound out of Uganda. He staged two shows in London, collaborated with Ice Prince, Nkosazana Daughter,
Bensoul, KiDi, Victoria Kimani, Fave, King Perry, Marioo, LeoStay Trill, Kivumbi King and Mr. Tee and TenorBoy. This year alone, he has collaborated with artistes from east, west and southern Africa on top of touring Sauti Sol’s Bien.
Did we also mention he has released two EPs, Growing Pains and Recess in a space of one year?
Female artiste of the year: Nandor Love
This woman has had a very unexpected year; she has featured in some of the hottest collaborations, such as the all-star female, Six Killas where she joined forces with Ava Peace, Zafaran, Nina Roz, Recho Rey and Jowy Landa on Kukyakala na Kubwa. Since then however, she has been consistent through out the year churning out songs such as Byadala, Empologoma, Mumbulamu and that’s without mentioning her latest, Nawolovu.
For a year where the most trending female artiste was mainly known for her body shape, Nandor Love, Azawi, Vinka and Ava Peace were some of the few that kept the lights on.
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