Bruce Melodie and Element Eleéeh proudly represent Rwanda in AFRIMA 2025, competing under the coveted category Best Male/Female Artist in East Africa. Bruce Melodie’s nomination comes from his electrifying collaboration "Beauty on Fire" featuring Joeboy, while Element Eleéeh secures his spot with the hit song "Tombe."
In this competitive category, they go head-to-head with African stars like Diamond Platnumz, Bien, Joshua Baraka, Juma Jux, Marioo, Mbosso, Sat-B, and Yared Negu.
AFRIMA 2025 also celebrates Africa’s top talents globally, with renowned artists like Burna Boy, Davido, El Grande Toto, Rema, and Fally Ipupa vying for prestigious awards, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Collaboration.
Burna Boy and Davido, both representing Nigeria, dominate with nominations in five major categories each. Similarly, DJ Maphorisa from South Africa and El Grande Toto from Morocco emerge as notable contenders.
Other artists to watch include Shallipopi (Nigeria), Mia Guissé (Senegal), Moliy (Ghana), Amr Diab (Egypt), Tyla (South Africa), and Uncle Waffles (Eswatini).
Stars from the African Diaspora, such as Aya Nakamura, DJ Snake, Darkoo, Faouzia, and WizTheMC, are making their mark as well.
Voting Timeline: Voting begins September 10, 2025, via the official AFRIMA website and concludes on November 30, 2025, just a day before the grand award ceremony.
Delani Makhalima, an AFRIMA jury member, shares his perspective on this evolving event: “In just 12 years, African music has risen as a dynamic global influence. AFRIMA continues to embody Africa’s musical greatness."
The event is organized through partnerships with the African Union Commission, Nigeria’s government, and Lagos State, this year’s host.
A Week of Celebrations: The AFRIMA 2025 week in Lagos offers a wide array of programs, including AFRIMA Music Village, Africa Music Business Summit, and a star-studded Nominees Party—all leading to the award ceremony broadcast across over 84 countries.
This year marks a historic high for AFRIMA with 10,717 entries submitted—an unprecedented figure since its inception 12 years ago.
After 10 intense days of evaluation, a panel of 13 international judges unveiled a remarkable list of 343 nominees across 40 categories. These artists reflect Africa’s vibrancy across five regions and the African Diaspora.
Transparent Voting: The AFRIMA voting process involves a College of Voters—a group of 100 professionals including music experts, researchers, influencers, DJs, and fans. They assess submissions based on factors like artistic talent, originality, creativity, and production quality.
All voting takes place exclusively online via www.afrima.org. Top accolades include AFRIMA Legend Award and Producer of the Year, overseen by the jury and College of Voters.
After votes are cast, AFRIMA’s international auditors compile the final results in confidentiality, ensuring the names of winners remain a surprise until the main ceremony.
The artist or song with the highest votes in each category claims the prestigious AFRIMA Award. Rigorous measures guarantee voting transparency and fairness.
Bruce Melodie shines at AFRIMA 2025 with his hit track ‘Beauty on Fire’ featuring Joeboy.
Element Eleéeh, renowned Rwandan producer, secures his AFRIMA nomination with the song ‘Tombe.’
Davido, Nigeria’s superstar, leads AFRIMA 2025 in high-profile categories like Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
Burna Boy, Africa’s musical icon, shines brightly with nominations across five AFRIMA 2025 categories.
Diamond Platnumz, East Africa’s superstar, brings Bongo Flava to AFRIMA 2025.
