Joshua Baraka, the Ugandan singer and producer, lost out on the Best East African Artist award at the 2025 Trace Awards to Kenya’s Bien-Aimé Baraza.
Baraka first made waves in 2023 with Nana and has since built an impressive catalog, dropping albums like Baby Step, Belinda, and Sana. But in this category, he faced tough competition. Bien edged out a strong lineup, which included Diamond Platnumz, Marioo, Harmonize, Nandy, Zuchu, and Rophnan, to take the win.
The awards, held at Mora Resort in Zanzibar, brought Africa’s top artists together for a night of electrifying performances and well-earned recognition. This year’s edition celebrated the diversity of Afro music, spanning Afrobeats, dancehall, hip-hop, Afropop, and beyond.
With artists from over 30 countries competing across 24 categories, the best in the business took home the top honors. Here’s the full list of winners from the 2025 Trace Awards.
