Trace TV is one station that for over a decade has dedicated itself to the promotion of African music through its channel that creates easy access for consumers to interact with music from different countries.
Trace TV is set to expand its influence and contribution to African music with the creation of an award show and a festival that’s set to celebrate the African music industry and also showcase its rich cultures and creativity.
In this Pulse interview, Trace TV CEO for West Africa Sam Onyemelukwe provides insight into the forthcoming award and festival, the motivation behind it, and what’s meant to achieve.
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Trace TV has been around for over a decade during which time they have promoted African music through its channels that are watched by millions of viewers across the world. Trace TV is now taking its influence a step further through the creation of an award show. Sam Onyemelukwe reveals that the award show was inspired by the desire to create an award show for Africans by Africans.
“For a lot of years, people have asked us about doing awards but we didn’t want to because we don’t want to just make another award show, But considering that several of the awards shows in Africa have been cancelled, it makes sense to create an award by Africans for African.”
The African music industry has seen the birth and untimely demise of several award shows due to numerous challenges. The lack of a well-recognized award is one of the limitations in the eco-system and this has continued to be a major concern from all stakeholders. Onyemelukwe shares that Trace recognizes this reality and it intends to create an award that will be on par with other globally recognized music awards.
“We aspire to make this into an annual event like any marquee awards. Although our market is not very easy so we are solely focused on this year’s award to make it as big and spectacular so whoever watches or attends has a wonderful experience.”
With the rise in African music being spearheaded by Afrobeats, this offers the best time to highlight the feat being recorded by African music globally, and the award provides a platform to achieve this. The idea of the award is not only to celebrate African music but also to showcase emerging talents from the continent to a global audience.
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“Through the awards and festivals, new talents will be showcased across all Trace platforms all over the world. So a young artist from Nigeria would have the chance to have his music reach far away in Brazil.”
Trace TV being a visual platform creates a concern about if the music award would be reduced to just music videos or if it would be broadened to cover nonvisual content. Onyemelukwe reveals that the plan is to celebrate every aspect of African music including parties that don’t often get to receive their flowers.
“For us, it’s about the music and the culture. We want to have a straightforward award while also recognizing those in the industry who don’t always get their flowers such as Producers and even Record Labels.”
Trace’s plans extend beyond creating an award show. There are also plans for a festival that will bring together people from all parts of the continent for a great experience that will showcase Africa’s rich and diverse culture.
“We are having a few days of festival that will have people showcase fashion, beauty, food, and different parts of African lifestyle and culture.”
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According to Onyemelukwe, the festival is focused on three areas – lifestyle, entertainment, and commerce. He also shared that there will be some educational aspects to the festival as Trace is bringing its E-Learning platform to life.
“Over two to three days, the festival is a place for people to come to relax and be at the nexus of music and entertainment in Africa.”
The first edition of the Trace Awards and Festival is scheduled for Rwanda which is fast emerging as an attractive hub for investors and tourists. Stakeholders and fans across the continent would be hoping that their country one day play host to the award show and festival. About this, Onyemelukwe shared that while the inaugural edition would be held in Rwanda, the venue for the subsequent installment is yet to be decided.
For Trace TV it has been a long time coming since it launched in Africa. Today, they have different channels servicing the needs of different music markets. Its impact is now spread across Africa while it’s playing its part in connecting African music with a global audience. The upcoming Trace Awards and Festival in Rwanda later in 2023, is set to further solidify the eco-system and showcase Trace’s commitment to promoting African music, art, and culture.
