The 14th Annual Groove Awards Gala went down on Saturday in a colorful celebration held at Mövenpick Hotel Westlands.
Glam, Fashion, Pomp, and Color graced the red carpet with Government Officials, Celebrities, Gospel Artists, Media Personalities and Music Fans bringing the best of fashion.
In line with the theme “Better Together,” this year’s awards season was focused on the message of unity in building better relationships, synergies, and societies.
Eunice Njeri was the biggest winner of the night bagging the Artist of the Year Award which was the most coveted award of the evening. A triumphant comeback, Eunice during her acceptance speech noted that it hasn’t been all roses and the wins came as pleasant surprises. “The last two years have not been easy, I have gone through the most difficult season- but God saw me through”, she noted
Jabidii, after smashing Groove Awards Nominations record with 11 nominations, topped the list of winners bagging 5 awards;- Reggae/ Ragga Song of the Year, Teens Choice Song of the Year, Collabo of the Year, Dance Style/ Song of the Year and Song of the Year awards respectively.
Other winners from the night were those from the newly introduced categories. This year saw an introduction of new categories necessitated by continuous insights and changing industry dynamics. Online/Digital Personality of the Year went to the WaJesus Family, Young Groover of the Year award was bagged by Amani Gracious while Benachi bagged the Diaspora Artists of the Year award.
“The announcement of the winners followed a rigorous process of reviewing over 900,000 Online and SMS votes that the public cast. We have received very positive feedback and seen such ownership and excitement by the public throughout the season. 14 years on and we are excited and grateful to be unveiling the list of winners for the 14th edition,” said Groove panel Chairman Charles Kairu. “We are truly honored to be in a position to shape culture, recognize and celebrate today’s talented artists and their contribution to the growth of the gospel music industry.”
The Awards, which were first launched in 2004, are held annually to celebrate gospel artists both in Kenya and in the region and have over the last decade has grown into a highly anticipated feature of the gospel industry calendar.
Among the highlights of the night were performances of some of Kenya’s biggest gospel hits by Pitson, Eunice Njeri, Makena, Timeless Noel, Moji Short Babaa, Jabidii amongst others. Other performances that carried the night included Mashups of 2018 big songs, throwback hits and a cypher to amplify the theme of the season-Better Together.
Winners in each category were selected based on a number of votes by the public, a two weeks long process that began soon after the Groove Nominations Night in May.
To protect the integrity of the voting process, all votes were assessed by leading audit firm EY.
The 14th Annual Groove Awards was produced by MoSound Events and was proudly sponsored by NRG Radio, Coke Studio, Little Cab, M-Akiba, Bonfire Adventures, Coca Cola, Pace Africa, Vivo Energy, Intercontinental Hotel and Safaricom.
- Artist of the Year – Eunice Njeri
- Song of the Year: Vimbada – Jabidii, Moji Short Babaa
- Music Video of the Year – Nifanane Nawe – Wahu Kagwe
- Young Groover of the Year – Amani Gracious
- Reggae/ Ragga Song of the Year – China – Jabidii
- Teens Choice Song of the year – Vimbada – Jabidii, Moji Short Babaa
- Collabo of the Year – Vimbada – Jabidii, Moji Short Babaa
- Dance Style/ Song of the Year – Vimbada – Jabidii, Moji Short Babaa
- Outstanding Contributor – RKay
- Diaspora Artist of the Year – Benachi
- Hypeman/ MC of the Year – Timeless Noel
- Song Writer of the Year – Pitson
- Online/ Digital Personality of The Year – Kabi and Milly for the WaJesus Family
- Video Producer of the Year – Steve Mugo
- The Audio Producer of The Year – Gideon Kimanzi
- Breakthrough Female Artist of The Year – Emma Omonge
- Breakthrough Male Artist of The Year – Baraka Musiq
- Breakthrough Dj of the Year – Ken the Dj
- Media Personality of The Year- Syombua Mwele
- Praise and Worship Song of the Year – Eunice Njeri Zaidi na Zaidi
- Nyanza Counties Song of the Year – Conquerer – Fenny Kerubo
- Rift Valley Song of the Year – Kapchi – Mum Cherop
- Eastern Counties Song of the Year – Stephen Kasolo
- Coastal Song of the Year – Nakupenda – Eve Bahati
- Central Song of the Year – Mutheani – Phyllis Mbuthia and Sammy Irungu
- Western Song of the Year – Lwanda ni Yesu – Timothy Kitui and Ali Mukhwana