The Soundcity MVP Awards Festival (TheMVPs) is a Pan-African music awards ceremony presented by Soundcity TV, Soundcity Radio Network, and Soundcity Digital, honoring the hardest working talents in African music across the continent. Established in 2016 and held annually in Lagos, Nigeria, the awards combine fan voting with industry committee selection to recognize artists from across Africa in 16 categories.
How the Soundcity MVP Awards Work
The Soundcity MVP Awards follow a fan-driven selection process:
- Nominations: A selection committee of industry stakeholders from across Africa nominates artists based on Soundcity TV programming, chart performance, streaming data, and cultural impact. Nominees span multiple African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, and Kenya.
- Voting: Winners are chosen through a combination of public fan voting on TheMVPs website and a select committee of industry stakeholders. Fan voting carries significant weight in most categories, making the awards highly responsive to audience engagement.
- Ceremony: The awards ceremony is held annually, typically in February at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos. The event is broadcast on Soundcity TV and Soundcity Radio Network across Africa.
The awards recognize artists across 16 categories covering Artiste of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Male MVP, Best Female MVP, Best Hip-Hop, Best Pop, Best Collaboration, Best New Artiste, Digital Artiste of the Year, Best African DJ, Legend of the Year, Producer of the Year, Video of the Year, Listener's Choice, Viewer's Choice, and Best Group.
Past winners include some of Africa's biggest stars: Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Diamond Platnumz, Tiwa Savage, Asake, Tems, Rema, and Black Sherif. The Legend of the Year award has honored established figures including Akon.
Real-World Example: The 2023 Soundcity MVP Awards
The 2023 Soundcity MVP Awards returned to the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos. Burna Boy won Artiste of the Year for his remarkable year that included the release of the album "Love, Damini" and the global hit "Last Last."
Kizz Daniel and Tekno won Song of the Year for "Buga (Lo Lo Lo)," which also ended as the number one song of 2022 in Nigeria on the TurnTable Year-End Charts. Asake took home Best Male MVP for his breakout year, while Tems won Best Female MVP.
Black Sherif won Best Hip-Hop for "Kwaku The Traveller," a cross-border hit from Ghana. Pheelz and BNXN won Best Collaboration for "Finesse." Rema won Digital Artiste of the Year. Ruger won Best New Artiste. DJ Maphorisa won Best African DJ. Magicsticks won Producer of the Year, and TG Omori won Video of the Year for "Bandana."
Akon received the Legend of the Year award. Fireboy DML won Best Pop for "Peru." Oxlade won Listener's Choice for "Ku Lo Sa," and Costa Titch won Viewer's Choice for "Big Flexa."
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
The Soundcity MVP Awards are one of the few major awards ceremonies dedicated exclusively to African music. Independent African artists who build strong streaming numbers and fan engagement can compete directly with major label acts in fan-voted categories.
The Best New Artiste category has launched careers. Ruger won in 2023 and went on to sign international distribution deals. The Digital Artiste of the Year category specifically recognizes artists who excel on streaming and social media platforms, which is where independent artists typically build their audience.
If you are an African artist, focus on building streaming numbers and social media engagement during the eligibility period. Soundcity TV programming heavily influences nominations, so getting your music played on Soundcity Radio Network and submitted to Soundcity TV playlists can increase your visibility. Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to track your performance across platforms. Check the Soundcity MVP Awards website for eligibility windows and voting dates.
Award Categories Explained
The Soundcity MVP Awards present trophies across 16 categories. Here is what each one recognizes:
- Artiste of the Year: The top honor. Given to the African artist with the biggest overall impact across streaming, charts, and cultural influence.
- Song of the Year: Awarded to the single that dominated charts and airplay across the continent.
- Best Male MVP: Recognizes the top male artist based on releases, streaming numbers, and fan engagement.
- Best Female MVP: Recognizes the top female artist using the same criteria as Best Male MVP.
- Best Hip-Hop: Honors the top hip-hop track or artist from any African country.
- Best Pop: Awarded to the best pop or Afropop release of the eligibility period.
- Best Collaboration: Recognizes the most successful joint release between two or more artists.
- Best New Artiste: Given to a breakout artist who made their first major impact during the eligibility year.
- Digital Artiste of the Year: Honors the artist with the strongest streaming and social media performance.
- Best African DJ: Recognizes the top DJ working across African music.
- Legend of the Year: A special award for an artist with a career of sustained influence on African music.
- Producer of the Year: Awarded to the producer behind the year's biggest hits.
- Video of the Year: Honors the best music video, with credit to the director.
- Listener's Choice: Voted by radio listeners. Reflects airplay popularity.
- Viewer's Choice: Voted by TV and online viewers. Reflects visual and broadcast popularity.
- Best Group: Recognizes the top duo or group act in African music.
Notable Past Winners
The Soundcity MVP Awards have run annually since 2016. Here are winners from recent editions:
2023 (5th Edition, February 11, 2023)
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Artiste of the Year | Burna Boy |
| Song of the Year | Kizz Daniel and Tekno ("Buga") |
| Best Male MVP | Asake |
| Best Female MVP | Tems |
| Best Hip-Hop | Black Sherif ("Kwaku The Traveller") |
| Best Pop | Fireboy DML ("Peru") |
| Best Collaboration | Pheelz and BNXN ("Finesse") |
| Best New Artiste | Ruger |
| Digital Artiste of the Year | Rema |
| Best African DJ | DJ Maphorisa |
| Legend of the Year | Akon |
| Producer of the Year | Magicsticks |
| Video of the Year | TG Omori ("Bandana" by Fireboy and Asake) |
| Listener's Choice | Oxlade ("Ku Lo Sa") |
| Viewer's Choice | Costa Titch ("Big Flexa") |
| Best Group | Ajebo Hustlers |
2020 (4th Edition, January 11, 2020)
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Artiste of the Year | Burna Boy |
| Song of the Year | Burna Boy ("Killin Dem") |
| Best Male MVP | Burna Boy |
| Best Female MVP | Teni |
| Best New MVP | Fireboy DML |
| Best Hip-Hop | Khaligraph Jones |
| Digital Artiste of the Year | Wizkid |
2019 (3rd Edition, January 5, 2019)
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Artiste of the Year | Burna Boy |
| Best Male MVP | Burna Boy |
| Best Female MVP | Busiswa |
| Best Hip-Hop | AKA |
| Song of the Year | Davido ("Assurance") |
2017 (2nd Edition)
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Artiste of the Year | Davido |
| Song of the Year | Davido ("If") |
| Best Male MVP | Diamond Platnumz |
| Best Female MVP | Tiwa Savage |
| Best Hip-Hop | Cassper Nyovest |
| Best New Artiste | Maleek Berry |
2016 (1st Edition, December 29, 2016)
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Artiste of the Year | Wizkid |
| Song of the Year | Tekno ("Pana") |
| Best Male MVP | Wizkid |
| Best Female MVP | Yemi Alade |
| Best Hip-Hop | Cassper Nyovest |
Burna Boy has won Artiste of the Year three times (2019, 2020, 2023). No other artist has won the top prize more than once.
Video Highlights
Eligibility and Submission Info
The Soundcity MVP Awards do not have a formal public submission process. The selection committee identifies nominees based on data from Soundcity TV programming, chart performance, streaming numbers, and cultural impact across Africa.
Eligibility period: Releases from the prior calendar year qualify. The 2023 ceremony covered music released in 2022.
Who qualifies: Artists from any African country are eligible. Nominees have come from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and other nations.
How to get noticed: Airplay on Soundcity TV and Soundcity Radio Network increases visibility. Strong streaming numbers on platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, and Audiomack also factor into nominations. Fan engagement on social media matters for fan-voted categories.
Voting: Public fan voting runs on TheMVPs website before the ceremony. Fan votes carry significant weight in most categories. The industry committee has final input on select categories.
Check the Soundcity MVP Awards website for the next eligibility window and voting dates.
Related Resources
- Streaming Royalty Calculator - Track streaming performance that feeds into MVP nominations
- Target Streams Calculator - Set streaming goals for awards eligibility
- 21 Ways Musicians Can Earn Income - Build revenue alongside awards strategy
- When and How to Hire a Music Manager - A manager can help coordinate African market outreach
- Performance Rights Organizations - African PROs like SAMRO and COMPASS collect royalties for nominated songwriters
Similar Awards
- South African Hip Hop Awards - Genre-specific awards for South African hip-hop
- Korea Grand Music Awards - K-pop awards with a similar weighted scoring approach
- YUNA - Ukraine's national music awards with a jury-based system
