PAM Awards: The winner is ...
Nov 07, 2010
BEBE Cool was on Saturday evening named PAM Awards’ Artiste of the Year 2010, beating Radio and Weasel, Jose Chameleone as well as Bobi Wine to the highest honour in the country’s premiere music awards ceremony. <br>
By Joseph Ssemutooke
BEBE Cool was on Saturday evening named PAM Awards’ Artiste of the Year 2010, beating Radio and Weasel, Jose Chameleone as well as Bobi Wine to the highest honour in the country’s premiere music awards ceremony.
This is the first time Cool claims the heavily coveted top prize despite being nominated for it every year since the awards started in 2003. He joins an elite list of previous winners: Jose Chameleone (2003/4), Mesach Ssemakula (2005), Bobi Wine (2006), Ronald Mayinja (2007) and Juliana Kanyomozi (2008).
You could as well say the win also cements 2010 as a year of mixed fortunes for the singer, seeing as he was shot multiple times and narrowly survived death in February.
For someone who has spent most of the year painfully recovering from the injuries he sustained in the shooting, the year could not have ended any better.
With three awards in all from the gala night at the new UMA hall in Lugogo, Bebe Cool also had the highest score of accolades from the event that bounced back with pomp from last year’s hibernation that was caused by disagreements among the organisers.
The other two awards Bebe Cool snuggled are: Best Reggae Artiste and Album of the Year for the album Kasepiki.
Unfortunately though, Cool did not grace his elated fans with his presence to receive the awards, as he is still in the US on treatment for the bullet injuries.
It was his manager, Omulangira Ndausi, who picked all the awards on his behalf, telling the audience that the singer had called in to follow the ceremony via phone, and was overjoyed to be the biggest winner of the evening.
Following close on Bebe Cool’s heels was Jose Chameleone with two awards for Best Afro-beat Artiste and Best Afro-beat Single. Rapper Navio also got two awards: Best Hip-hop Artiste and Best Video for the hit Raw.
Iryn Namubiru won Best Female Artiste category, beating the heavy weights Cindy, Grace Nakimera and Juliana Kanyomozi, to the award. Radio and Weasel won Best Male Artiste while Pastor Wilson Bugembe won Best Gospel Artiste, among others.
There were also many first-timers from the newer breed of artistes, with Samalie Matovu reaping biggest on Omukwano Gunyuma, which won Song of the Year.
Her fellow first-timers included Eddie Kenzo winning the Best New Artiste, Raba Daba winning Best Raga Artiste, Jamal winning Best R&B Single Abakyala Bazira, Aziz as R&B Artiste and GNL Zamba winning Hip-Hop Single, among others. Dan Mugula, who was at the top in the 70s and 80s, won the Lifetime Achievement award.
Away from the winners, the event was once again glamorous. It was as usual a register of who-is-who on the social scene, an unlimited display of fashion, a great sumptuous dinner, a red carpet reception and breathtaking performances.
Coco Finger, though he lost the Best New Artiste award, was the man of the evening – no one marched his energetic performance. Rapper Keko, Cindy, Navio and the Barbed Wire Thong band also put up good performances.
It was also a surprise to see Judith Babirye, who has previously snubbed the event citing its ‘worldly touch’, perform and pick up her award for Best Gospel Single (Wanjagala).
The ever-lurid Straka, as one of the MCs, outdid herself being the comedian of the evening. But she impressed, same as Kazoora and Roger Mugisha.
On the downside, several artistes were not around to receive their awards.
For instance, all who vied for Artiste of the Year were absent, plus Eddie Kenzo, Ragga Dee, Aziz Azion, Raba Daba, Mesach Ssemakula and Juliana Kanyomozi. Isaac Mulindwa, chair of the awards’ committee, said most of the artistes were away performing at campaign rallies of the different presidential candidates, while Chameleone was on an overseas tour.
List of winners
ARTISTE OF THE YEAR - Bebe Cool
BEST FEMALE ARTISTE - Iryn Namubiru
BEST MALE ARTISTE - Radio &Weasel
ALBUM OF THE YEAR - Kasepiki
by Bebe Cool
SONG OF THE YEAR - Omukwano Gunyuma by Samalie Matovu
BEST VIDEO - Raw by Navio
BEST NEW ARTISTE - Eddie Kenzo
AUDIO PRODUCER OF THE YEAR - Benon
SONG WRITER OF THE YEAR - Silver Kyagulanyi
BEST LIVE BAND - Qwela Band
BEST LIVE BAND SINGLE - Taliyo by
Mesach Ssemakula
BEST AFRO-BEAT ARTISTE - Jose
Chameleone
BEST AFRO-BEAT SINGLE - Basiima Ogenze by Jose Chameleone
BEST R&B ARTISTE - Aziz Azion
BEST R&B SINGLE - Abakyala Bazira
by Jamal
BEST RAGGA ARTISTE - Raba Daba
BEST REGGAE ARTISTE - Bebe Cool
BEST HIP-HOP ARTISTE - Navio
BEST HIP HOP SINGLE - Kikankane by GNL Zamba
BEST GOSPEL ARTISTE - Pastor Wilson Bugembe
BEST GOSPEL SINGLE - Wanjagala by Judith Babirye
BEST KADONGO KAMU ARTISTE - Mathias Walukagga
BEST KADONGO KAMU SINGLE -
Embaga by Gerald Kiweewa
BEST CULTURAL ARTISTE - Percussion Discussion
BEST FOLK POP ARTISTE - Susan Kerunen
BEST NOTHERN ARTISTE - Brazen Rule
BEST WEST NILE ARTISTE - Fat A
BEST WESTERN ARTISTE - Rama P
BEST EASTERN ARTISTE - Rocky
BEST MALE KENYA - Nameless
BEST FEMALE KENYA - Wahu
BEST MALE TANZANIA - AY
BEST FEMALE TANZANIA - Jaydee
BEST MALE RWANDA - Alpha
BEST FEMALE RWANDA - Miss Jojo
BEBE Cool was on Saturday evening named PAM Awards’ Artiste of the Year 2010, beating Radio and Weasel, Jose Chameleone as well as Bobi Wine to the highest honour in the country’s premiere music awards ceremony.
This is the first time Cool claims the heavily coveted top prize despite being nominated for it every year since the awards started in 2003. He joins an elite list of previous winners: Jose Chameleone (2003/4), Mesach Ssemakula (2005), Bobi Wine (2006), Ronald Mayinja (2007) and Juliana Kanyomozi (2008).
You could as well say the win also cements 2010 as a year of mixed fortunes for the singer, seeing as he was shot multiple times and narrowly survived death in February.
For someone who has spent most of the year painfully recovering from the injuries he sustained in the shooting, the year could not have ended any better.
With three awards in all from the gala night at the new UMA hall in Lugogo, Bebe Cool also had the highest score of accolades from the event that bounced back with pomp from last year’s hibernation that was caused by disagreements among the organisers.
The other two awards Bebe Cool snuggled are: Best Reggae Artiste and Album of the Year for the album Kasepiki.
Unfortunately though, Cool did not grace his elated fans with his presence to receive the awards, as he is still in the US on treatment for the bullet injuries.
It was his manager, Omulangira Ndausi, who picked all the awards on his behalf, telling the audience that the singer had called in to follow the ceremony via phone, and was overjoyed to be the biggest winner of the evening.
Following close on Bebe Cool’s heels was Jose Chameleone with two awards for Best Afro-beat Artiste and Best Afro-beat Single. Rapper Navio also got two awards: Best Hip-hop Artiste and Best Video for the hit Raw.
Iryn Namubiru won Best Female Artiste category, beating the heavy weights Cindy, Grace Nakimera and Juliana Kanyomozi, to the award. Radio and Weasel won Best Male Artiste while Pastor Wilson Bugembe won Best Gospel Artiste, among others.
There were also many first-timers from the newer breed of artistes, with Samalie Matovu reaping biggest on Omukwano Gunyuma, which won Song of the Year.
Her fellow first-timers included Eddie Kenzo winning the Best New Artiste, Raba Daba winning Best Raga Artiste, Jamal winning Best R&B Single Abakyala Bazira, Aziz as R&B Artiste and GNL Zamba winning Hip-Hop Single, among others. Dan Mugula, who was at the top in the 70s and 80s, won the Lifetime Achievement award.
Away from the winners, the event was once again glamorous. It was as usual a register of who-is-who on the social scene, an unlimited display of fashion, a great sumptuous dinner, a red carpet reception and breathtaking performances.
Coco Finger, though he lost the Best New Artiste award, was the man of the evening – no one marched his energetic performance. Rapper Keko, Cindy, Navio and the Barbed Wire Thong band also put up good performances.
It was also a surprise to see Judith Babirye, who has previously snubbed the event citing its ‘worldly touch’, perform and pick up her award for Best Gospel Single (Wanjagala).
The ever-lurid Straka, as one of the MCs, outdid herself being the comedian of the evening. But she impressed, same as Kazoora and Roger Mugisha.
On the downside, several artistes were not around to receive their awards.
For instance, all who vied for Artiste of the Year were absent, plus Eddie Kenzo, Ragga Dee, Aziz Azion, Raba Daba, Mesach Ssemakula and Juliana Kanyomozi. Isaac Mulindwa, chair of the awards’ committee, said most of the artistes were away performing at campaign rallies of the different presidential candidates, while Chameleone was on an overseas tour.
List of winners
ARTISTE OF THE YEAR - Bebe Cool
BEST FEMALE ARTISTE - Iryn Namubiru
BEST MALE ARTISTE - Radio &Weasel
ALBUM OF THE YEAR - Kasepiki
by Bebe Cool
SONG OF THE YEAR - Omukwano Gunyuma by Samalie Matovu
BEST VIDEO - Raw by Navio
BEST NEW ARTISTE - Eddie Kenzo
AUDIO PRODUCER OF THE YEAR - Benon
SONG WRITER OF THE YEAR - Silver Kyagulanyi
BEST LIVE BAND - Qwela Band
BEST LIVE BAND SINGLE - Taliyo by
Mesach Ssemakula
BEST AFRO-BEAT ARTISTE - Jose
Chameleone
BEST AFRO-BEAT SINGLE - Basiima Ogenze by Jose Chameleone
BEST R&B ARTISTE - Aziz Azion
BEST R&B SINGLE - Abakyala Bazira
by Jamal
BEST RAGGA ARTISTE - Raba Daba
BEST REGGAE ARTISTE - Bebe Cool
BEST HIP-HOP ARTISTE - Navio
BEST HIP HOP SINGLE - Kikankane by GNL Zamba
BEST GOSPEL ARTISTE - Pastor Wilson Bugembe
BEST GOSPEL SINGLE - Wanjagala by Judith Babirye
BEST KADONGO KAMU ARTISTE - Mathias Walukagga
BEST KADONGO KAMU SINGLE -
Embaga by Gerald Kiweewa
BEST CULTURAL ARTISTE - Percussion Discussion
BEST FOLK POP ARTISTE - Susan Kerunen
BEST NOTHERN ARTISTE - Brazen Rule
BEST WEST NILE ARTISTE - Fat A
BEST WESTERN ARTISTE - Rama P
BEST EASTERN ARTISTE - Rocky
BEST MALE KENYA - Nameless
BEST FEMALE KENYA - Wahu
BEST MALE TANZANIA - AY
BEST FEMALE TANZANIA - Jaydee
BEST MALE RWANDA - Alpha
BEST FEMALE RWANDA - Miss Jojo