PMVA trophies [File, Standard]

The Pulse Music Video Awards (PMVA) trophy was unveiled yesterday ahead of today's ceremony, the ultimate gala that celebrates the cream of the Kenyan music industry.

PMVA, an offspring of Pulse Magazine, has become a staple of the region.

The magnificent trophy is the winners' top award that gives a symbol of star status and achievement. Only sixty such trophies have been presented to artistes since the PMVA event kicked off in 2015.

The trophy will be awarded to winners of the 10 nomination categories where more than 50 top artistes are fighting for honours. There will be a wild card this time round though, a special Lifetime Achievement Award, one that will be in honour of an icon in the Kenyan Creative space.

The gala-night will be held at the artistic Nairobi Street Kitchen, and will be a gathering of industry stakeholders. A glitz and pomp affair that will also see performances by celebrated Kenyan acts among them dancehall king Redsan and fresh stars The Luchi and Tesla Kenya.

New school deejays led by Unique sounds main man DJ Nick and Miles will be on the decks for the night.

It will be an invite-only intimate affair, a red-carpet star show that will see celebrities grace the red-carpet showcasing the finest of Kenyan designs.

It will not just be a glamour moment for musicians only but a showcase of the entire Kenyan entertainment industry with top beauty queens, film and theatre personalities as well as other representatives from the arts having confirmed their attendance.

New KTN Home Str8Up hosts Claudia Naisabwa and Joe de best as well as KTN News E-News hosts Peris Wambugu and Tamara Patience will host the red-carpet one-hour affair when the ceremony kicks off at 6pm.

“I will keep my tonight’s dress a secret but I will be dressed by Sewe Kenya, how else do we celebrate our very own if we don’t support them?" she posed.

The show will be broadcast on KTN Home and also streamed on multiple social media sites owned by the Standard Group Plc.

Yesterday saw the main hosts of the event Sharon Kate Ng'ang'a and Brian Aseli, do their rehearsal alongside other main participants. Performers also did their final preparations - complete with security checks and Covid-19 measures.

“I am personally looking forward to this evening. I am super excited because I have been a fan of Pulse as the magazine and now I have crossed over from just being a fan to a participant I am so 'pumped up',” says Brian Aseli.

There will be many surprise acts during the evening ceremony that will see iconic stars meet the new faces of showbiz.

This year’s gala, themed ‘Unmasking the Beat’, is focused on celebrating the authentic and relentless nature of artistes and other creatives that have been entertaining Kenyans; particularly in the year 2021 when Covid-19 disrupted the entertainment scene. Unmasking the Beat is a clarion call for the industry to take the shackles off their feet and get things moving again.

“I want to specifically acknowledge all the artistes who have been nominated and all who are will be attending the show as they make a good representation of the thousands who keep the music industry vibrant,” said Ochieng Rapuro, Standard Group PLC Editor in Chief.