Nairobi stars dominate Coast awards

                            Grandpa records crew scooped the most awards

 

Nairobi celebrities carried the day beating the locals on their home ground as this year’s Coast Music Awards got hosted in Mombasa on Saturday night.

The Mombasa-based nominees were reduced to spectators as the Beyonce owned annual affair gifted Nairobians with all the top categories.

With Grandpa Records leading the onslaught after scooping the Best Record Label accolade — for supporting Mombasa artistes — the stable’s bad boy Kidis, took the Best Male Award as the Kamua Leo Remix, yet another Grandpa Records production, won the Song of the Year category.

It was a Grandpa enviable affair as DNA went ahead to deny Tanzani’s finest Diamond and former Blue 3 songstress Cindy, from Uganda, to emerge the Best East African artiste of 2013.

Besides newcomer Love Mummy, who was gifted with the Best Female artiste award, most of the other categories were in favour of Nairobi celebrities. After dominating the Mwafaka and Xtreem Teeniez awards earlier in the year, hot gospel newbie Bahati and talented singer Willy Paul ended the year on a high as they won their respective gospel categories. Showbiz events kingpin Willy Tuva was crowned the best radio presenter as KTN’s Ferdinand Omondi claimed the Best Journalist gong.

It was a well attended glitz ceremony, that though short of the ordinary political flamboyance it is associated with restored the dignity of the numerous Coast-based awards that seemed on an all time low this year.

Many were in agreement and so with an animated applause as Mombasa’s finest Chikuzee and Susumila, graced the podium to pick the Best Collaboration award. DJ Electronic, yet another Mombasa export scooped the Best Deejay category as Mama Sizo’s Mtwapa-based Hornets Records joined the winners with the Best Recording Studio claim.

Others included popular Coastal entertainment joints; Fan Fun and Sheba.