And Now, Here Are The Citizen Digital Awards 2022 Winners

Whilst it has been a jam-packed year, with many releases hitting the airwaves, the competition has been stiff as artists and content creators continued to release classic material to their fans and even haters.

Since January, we have witnessed the birth of maverick Tiktok content creators, most of whom broke traditional comedy standards to bring us uniquely peculiar content that sometimes made us laugh, shocked us and even revolted us.

The music industry players too did not slack - albums were dropped, hit singles swayed the masses, sold-out concerts were witnessed and fans jammed along to viral hits on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and various other streaming platforms.

As the year closes, Citizen Digital has come up with its first ever Awards for all of the players who dominated the 2022 entertainment scene.

NB: This compilation is merely the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the overall sentiment of the majority of either readers/fans or colleagues.

And Now, Citizen Digital's Inaugural Award Winners for 2022.

Best Female Artist - Nikita Kering

Hot on the heels of her smash hit 'Ex', Nikita Kering continued to soar high. This year alone, the silky-voiced voluptuous singer saw herself gleaming at the iconic Times Square billboard in New York, USA. She also bagged the Spotify’s Equal Program ambassador title in the month of November. Kering also historically performed a couple of her hit songs with the BBC Philharmonic symphony orchestra at BBC Radio 1Xtra's Afrobeat Concerto. She became the only Kenyan singer to do so and at that legendary stage.

Best Male Artist - Nyashinski

Nyash has consistently shown that he is a man on a mission - to conquer East Africa, and then the world. The notoriously-private rapper-cum-singer continued to churn out hit after hit, eventually dropping his much-anticipated project 'Therapy' containing four songs which he described as a 'four-course meal'. His sold out Eldoret 'Shin-City' concert, which attracted thousands of fans, sealed Nyashinski's fate as the King of Kenyan music.

Best Male Comedian - Crazy Kennar

Throughout the year, Crazy Kennar kept Kenyans on the floor as they rolled in laughter, unable to catch a breath. The witty skit-maker dominated all social media platforms, becoming a ubiquitous face across Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and even Twitter. This year alone, Crazy Kennar saw one of his viral videos get shared by Afrobeat godfather Don Jazzy, buy a sleek Toyota Prado, get selected among Africans for the Meta for the Creators of Tomorrow initiative, visit London under the same auspices, meet Tiktok King Khaby Lame and act alongside big names including Rayvanny.

Best Female Comedian - Mamitto

Alongside her creative sidekick Terence the Creative, Mamitto really showed Kenyans her illest acting chops as she dropped viral skit after viral skit. The incredibly-gifted skit-maker wowed us with her clever one-liners, never missing a beat and relentlessly capturing the minds of her fans. No female comedian quite captured the nuances of the typical Kenyan like Mamitto.

Best Male Tiktoker - Moya David

The dancing sensation entertained Kenyans all year long, moving from just doing random dances to now getting exclusive invites to stage his popular cheery dance routines for a fee at luxurious events. Moya David also kept the ante high, industriously honing his craft to eventually launching his exquisite beauty spa in Nairobi's pricey Kilimani area. Just recently, a client in South Sudan booked an entire plane just for Moya David and his PA to go do a private dance show in Juba. Man! 

Best Female Tiktoker - Ajib Gathoni

Ajib Gathoni's rise to Tiktok fame continued to soar the entire year. The curvaceous dancing sensation, who has won hearts with her charming smile and matchless fashion sense won the year, dropping hundreds of dance routines, inventing new dance styles, creating viral challenges, getting numerous endorsements and racking up her dizzyingly-high online following

Breakout Tiktok Star - Benawamalines

The moment he mouthed the words, "pulahia maisha… life ni fupi njo", Benawamalines immediately captured the audiences and skyrocketed to immediate Tiktok fame. Unlike a lot of viral stars who die out almost immediately, Benawamalines capitalized on the viral fame to create an eccentric, accent-based hilarious character that solidly resonated with his fans and further widened his reach.

Best DJ -  DJ Grauchi

Circa 2020, during the height of the Covid-19, as Kenyans stayed away from the office, nightclubs and pretty much all social events, one DJ shot up from the woodwork, started a thing called #LockdownSessions and, within a couple months, took the country by storm. DJ Grauchi's star shone even brighter in 2022, as he became the single-most sought after DJ for all corporate events, swankiest nightclubs and private events. A notoriously-private disc jockey, Grauchi maintained his touch with his fan base with his now widely-popular #WakeUpCall YouTube mixtapes which have seen his star grow exponentially, his bank account get fatter and him become the poster boy of anything 'sherehe' across Kenya.

Breakout Film Star - Melissa Kiplagat

The 28-year old internationally-trained actress became a massive 2022 breakout film star after she starred in Kenya's first-ever Netflix series, County Queen. As Akisa, an event planner who leaves Nairobi for the village to confront a past she evaded for 10 years, Melissa delivered a knockout performance that saw her garner accolades from far and wide. The powerful actress learned of Country Queen's audition from a WhatsApp group and immediately showed up, showed out her impeccable skills and was ultimately cast as the main lead. She would soon, alongside other leading African actresses, grace the magazine cover of "Art of Superwoman", in a feature titled, "The Leading Ladies of Netflix".

Best Song - Geri Inengi by Wakadinali

"Subaru ya Mambaru imekam na imejaa" became a refrain that even the remotest Kenyan sang along to. Drill group Wakidanali thrilled fans in a now-classic single which detailed the tensions between ghetto youth and DCI officers. The song's catchy chorus, impeccable word play, piquant imagery and groundbreaking lyricism won millions of hearts, becoming a fan favorite across all nightclubs, concerts and in road trips too.

Best Collabo - Mbwe Mbwe - Aaron Rimbui and Bien-aime Baraza 

The soft Rhumba-style jam saw Bien croon his way into musical iconism. As the guitar riffs brought the song's unforgettable melody to life, Bien's voiced lilted and swaggered, relaxing the mind, transporting the listener to a world of tranquility and leisure. As Aaron Rimbui did his legendary magic on the instruments, the words "Usiogope kukula jasho yako

Mamama" becoming an indelible refrain in the minds of fans.

King of Collabos - Bien-aime Baraza

After the disintegration of Sauti Sol, all the members ventured out to do their own thing and find their individual sound. Amidst the restructuring, Bien-aime Baraza stood out, lending his beautiful voice to various tracks, effortlessly blending with his collaborators, adding richness and musical expertise to any and every song he was featured on, unafraid of deviating from his normal sound and trying out not just new sounds but also grittier musical terminologies. "Dimension" featuring Fully Focus quickly comes to mind.

Mr. Club Bangers - Iyanii

The fairly new singer became the King of the Nightclubs just by his ingenuity, playful lyricism and easy-to-master songs. Iyanii capitalized on Kenyans' love for sing-song tunes, with a simple cadence that immediately resonated with drunk revelers, his core market being the intoxicated music lovers. The fact that any drunk could easily shout out his melodies means that the dance floor was his to take. Songs like "Above the Head" and "Furaha" saw Iyanii steal the soul of the party.

Best Tiktok Challenge Song - Kuna Kuna (Vic West, Brandy Maina, Savara, Fathermoh)

Millions of Kenyans, young and old, urban and rural, have already sang along to these words or even danced them out on Tiktok, "Ukinikuna back, mi nitakukuna front...Ebu baby don't let go, Ukinipea shash mi nitakupea ndom...Make me want me do it, do it, do it, do it". Brandy Maina's verse on 'Kuna Kuna' took the country by storm, becoming an almost-annoying Tiktok mainstay, with all manner of people trying out the viral dance challenge, some getting it wrong and many nailing the routine down to a T. Also, 'Kuna Kuna' did not just shake Tiktok, it shook the nightclubs too. So can I see your hands? Or your waist? Yeah, right.

Best Stage Performer - Nyashinski

Nyash is the only man to bag two awards in this list. Yeah, because he's always on his Ed Sheeran sh*t. Earlier this year, Nyashinski pulled out a feat only a few Kenyan artists (if any) had pulled. He rolled out the now-iconic Shin City (one man) concert that saw him thrill fans for hours on end. On stage, Nyashinski becomes a ferocious animal, much like Sasha Fierce, Beyonce's stage persona. Nyashinski morphs from a mere human to a ravenous Lion in the savanna. He's gritty, thorough, calculated, enthralling and mind-bogglingly gripping. In Eldoret? He shut down the city in a style and fashion no one has this year. Or ever may.

Best Global Fame - Fifa Metro Guy

A few Kenyans managed to hit international headlines for various feats, big or small, but nobody captured the attention of the global media quite like the Metro Guy. As the World Cup got underway in Qatar, one Kenyan immigrant sizzled the fans as he went about his 'metro' gimmicks smack in the streets of Qatar. He became an immediate sensation, attracting hundreds of curious fans as he comically yelled 'metroooo' into his megaphone. Messi may have shaken Qatar, but the 'Metro Guy' did his own little thing, in his own little way.

Best Couple - Nameless and Wahu

For over two decades now, Nameless and his singer wife Wahu have become a universally-beloved twosome. Music aside, Nameless and Wahu have consistently served Kenyans with beauty, loveliness and overall charm as they raise their two children, away from scandal, cheap publicity stunts and mawkish online beefs. They cemented their position as the picturesque 2022 couple in the months leading up to the birth of their surprising third born. Oh, once again, congratulations The Mathenges on your new family addition. Assuming we already said it the first time.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the conclusion of the inaugural Citizen Digital Awards (CIDIA). 

Wapi Makofi?