2019 was a year when local artistes proved that Rwandan music can, with no doubt, go places.
They put in remarkable effort, spending days and nights in recording studios working on big music projects that earned them unrivaled admiration from music fans who were always eager to have them on their playlists.
It has particularly been a successful year for R&B recording musician Bruce Melodie whose music enjoyed dominance with incredible power play on local radio and TV stations and gained a vote of confidence from renowned music TVs from across the continent.
Our top ten list is dominated by established artistes with few new faces that earned them exposure in 2019.
Kungola by Sunny ft Bruce Melodie
Without getting into the details of the controversy that surrounded its production, singer Sunny knew exactly why she wanted RnB singer Bruce Melodie and video producer, Nameless Campos to stop delaying her song she invested $30,000 in its production.
The song has become a hit since its release and has gone on to become one of the best hits of 2019.
It’s also the song out of which five-year-old Kirehe kid, Bonane Joseph’s dance moves became a global trend and impressed the world of social media including American rapper and actor Tyrese Gibson as the kid is seen in the video dancing ‘gwara gwara and shaku shaku’ to the song.
Naremeye by the Ben
You will hardly find an annual top 10 without The Ben’s song and it’s no surprise that his song ‘Naremeye’ making it into 2019’s top 10.
When the crooner released a lyric video on YouTube back in February, he incorporated videos of fans and fellow celebrities like singers Nirere Shanel, Yvan Buravan, Emmy, Priscillah and Magaly Pearl, MCs Ally Soudy and Ange Umulisa, as well as socialite and businesswoman Kate Bashabe who he used in his lyrics video.
The video was a big contributor in promoting his song which went on to become fans’ favorite and has so far recorded over 1 million views on YouTube.
Vazi by The Ben
‘Vazi’ created a paradise of love for couples during summer.
The song hit local airwaves since the singer released it in August and its huge power play gives it credit to make to the top 10 of 2019.
Katerina by Bruce Melodie
Bruce Melodie has been the busiest artiste of 2019 and his song ‘Katerina’ features in the top 10 on merit given the mass reception it received from Rwandans since it was released three months ago. It also gained more attention from fans after Rwanda after he performed it at East Africa’s Got Talent competition in Nairobi.
On Fire by Andy Bumuntu
Andy Bumuntu is one of the artistes to watch out for in 2020 if he continues to impress fans like he did in 2019. He is really proving that his music is there to stay and his recently-released song ‘On Fire’ only show that he means it.
With over 700,000 views on Youtube, the song has enjoyed an incredible reception from Bumuntu’s fans and music fans in general. It’s danceable and melodious.
Nari High by The Mane All Stars
The Mane Music label’s future might be hanging following artistes Safi and Jay Polly’s recent exodus, but having them together in one song ‘Nari High’ made it a hot cake.
The song is increasingly becoming a club banger and is earning an unrivaled competition when it comes to local radio and TV play.
Down town by Meddy and Thierry Nish
It’s a song that not only impressed Rwandan music lovers but also Africa’s music stars including Nigerian singer A Pass, and Tanzanian bongo flavor star Alikiba whose comments on the collaboration might have made Meddy get goose bumps.
From the look of things, people had little interest when Meddy worked on the music project with Burundian singer Thierry Nish and a few believed it would become a hit. However, as time went by since its release in July, the song isn’t missing on DJs playlists.
Mpa amavuta by James and Daniella
James and Daniella, are already a household name in Rwanda’s gospel music thanks to their uplifting song "Mpa amavuta. The musical couple’s sensational rise in the industry is proving to be a boost for the gospel music as they are maintaining the pace in recording songs that awaken Christians’ worship spirit.
The song has already generated over 1 million views in just six months since it was uploaded on their YouTube channel.
Karame Isreal mbonyi
‘Karame’ was Israel Mbonyi’s first ever released video since he launched his music career in 2015.
The 12-minute video was recorded during a live concert in Kigali a few months ago and has since gained massive reception from his predominantly Christian audience.
The song’s video caught the attention of many Christians given that his fans were only used to his audios.
Byakubaho by Amalon
Little knew RnB singer Amalon, before he released ‘Byakubaho’ a song that earned him a huge fan base from not only Kigali but across the whole country.
The song became a hit since he released it in February and no wonder it does make the cut in our top 10 songs of 2019.
With already over 700,000 views on YouTube, it is arguably the same song that earned him a golden chance to become the lone local artiste who performed alongside Nigerian pop sensation Burna Boy at a live concert held in March, at Intare Conference Arena in Rusororo.