Rwandan talents in music, entertainment, fashion, food, design, photography, arts & crafts among others are set to shine at Trace Awards and Festival from October 20-22 at Kigali Convention & Exhibition Village (former Camp Kigali).
Rwandan artistes scheduled to perform at the festival include Bruce Melodie, Mike Kayihura, Kivumbi King, Ish Kevin, Shemi, Michael Makembe Angell Mutoni, Kenny K Shot, Maestro Boomin, Rwandan-French rapper Tsonpa, Boy Chopper, DJ Hottempah, DJ Iraa, DJ Higa & DJ Rusam and DJ Tyga.
Olivier Lauchez, CEO and co-founder of Trace while addressing the local headliners of Trace Festival, highlighted that it is unfortunate that they could not nominate all of them; however, they have a chance to perform at the festival and make possible connections.
"The festival is to showcase the excellence of African music and Rwanda is among East African countries with good artistes that we are happy to show to the rest of the continent. During the festival we will implement new innovations and a new platform,” Lauchez highlighted.
On Friday, October 20, the festival will kick off with a private welcome party and performance at KCEV, and artistes will also grace the red carpet on the day of the awarding ceremony, Saturday, October 21.
Asked about what it takes to pay an artiste, he said it is a process where they register on the website and sign a contract.
Artistes set for Friday’s lineup will be Bruce Melodie, Ish Kevin, Maestro Booming, Kenny K Shot and Mike Kayihura among others. On Saturday’s schedule Angell Mutoni, Boy Chopper, DJ Higa and Rusam among others will entertain music lovers while Sunday's performers are DJ Ira, Michael Makembe, Boukuru, Kivumbi King and Shemi.
DJ Higa and Rusam highlighted their excitement towards performing at a big stage, looking forward to a great experience. " This a huge opportunity and we are grateful to our fans because they did this for us, the festival will push us to become greater and dream bigger as female Deejays,” said Higa.
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Expecting more visibility that will lead to collaborations, Kivumbi King sees his performance at the festival as an opportunity for exposure. "The music industry is all about connections and the more connections, the bigger you get. Coming to Rwanda will give us exposure if we use the connections right,” said Kivumbi.
Born and raised in France, Rwandan rapper Patrick Manzi, commonly known as Tsonpa, is ready to give an electric performance at the festival.
"At first when they told me about performing I did not believe it but now that I am here, they are in for trouble,” he said. The rapper also looks up to collaborating with other rappers as he explores more on Rwanda’s music scene.
Excited of showcase the creativity and identity of the Rwandan music, Michael Makembe is all set to bring his a-game at the festival representing the modern culture. He pointed out that each performance is like a new artwork; he is looking forward to having fun and show the fusion of Rwanda’s tradition to modernity.
Entrance fee to the festival is Rwf5, 000 for adults and Rwf2.5, 000 for students per day.
Launched in 2003, Trace is the first multimedia and digital platform in the world solely devoted to Afro-Urban music and cultures, as well as to the success of young people and artistes. Trace reaches more than 350 million fans in 180 countries.