The 14th Annual Groove Awards Gala went down on Saturday in a colorful celebration held at Mövenpick Hotel Westlands.

Glam, Fashion, Pomp and Color graced the red carpet with Government Officials, Celebrities, Gospel Artists, Media Personalities and Music Fans bringing the best of fashion.

Kenya film classification board CEO Dr Ezekiel Mutua, Nairobi County Women Mp Esther Passaris and Businessman Gor Semelango were among those who attended the event.

In line with the theme “Better Together,” this year’s awards season was focused on the message of unity in building better relationships, synergies and societies.

Eunice Njeri was the biggest winner of the night bagging the Artist of the Year Award which was the most coveted award of the evening.

A triumphant comeback, Eunice during her acceptance speech noted that it hasn’t been all roses and the wins came as pleasant surprises.

“The last two years have not been easy, I have gone through the most difficult season- but God saw me through”, she noted 

Jabidii, after smashing Groove Awards Nominations record with 11 nominations, topped the list of winners bagging 5 awards;- Reggae/ Ragga Song of the Year, Teens Choice Song of the Year, Collabo of the Year, Dance Style/ Song of the Year and Song of the Year awards respectively.

Other winners from the night were those from the newly introduced categories.

This year saw an introduction of new categories necessitated by continuous insights and changing industry dynamics. Online/Digital Personality of the Year went to the WaJesus Family, Young Groover of the Year award was bagged by Amani Gracious while Benachi bagged the Diaspora Artists of the Year award.

“The announcement of the winners followed a rigorous process of reviewing over 900,000 Online and SMS votes that the public casting.,” said Groove panel Chairman Charles Kairu.

Adding “We are truly honored to be in a position to shape culture, recognize and celebrate today’s talented artistes and their contribution to the growth of the gospel music industry.” 

The Awards, which were first launched in 2004, are held annually to celebrate gospel artists both in Kenya and in the region, and have over the last decade grown into a highly anticipated feature of the gospel industry calendar.

Among the highlights of the night were performances of some of Kenya’s biggest gospel hits by Pitson, Eunice Njeri, Makena, Timeless Noel, Moji Short Babaa, Jabidii amongst others. Other performances that carried the night included Mash ups of 2018 big songs, throwback hits and a cypher to amplify the theme of the season-Better Together. 

Winners in each category were selected based on number of votes by the public, a two weeks long process that began soon after the Groove Nominations Night in May.

To protect the integrity of the voting process, all votes were assessed by leading audit firm EY.

The 14th Annual Groove Awards was produced by MoSound Events and was proudly sponsored by NRG Radio, Coke Studio, Little Cab, M-Akiba, Bonfire Adventures, Coca Cola, Pace Africa, Vivo Energy, Intercontinental Hotel and Safaricom.

Congratulations to all Nominees and Winners.

Here's the full list of the Groove Awards 2019 winners.

Artist of the Year - Eunice Njeri

Song of the Year: Vimbada - Jabidii, Moji Short Babaa

Music Video of the Year -  Nifanane Nawe - Wahu Kagwe

Young Groover of the Year - Amani Gracious

Reggae/ Ragga Song of the Year - China - Jabidii

Teens Choice Song of theYear - Vimbada - Jabidii, Moji Short Babaa

Collabo of the Year - Vimbada - Jabidii, Moji Short Babaa 

Dance Style/ Song of the Year - Vimbada - Jabidii, Moji Short Babaa 

Outstanding Contributor - RKay

Diaspora Artist of the Year - Benachi

Hypeman/ MC of the Year - Timeless Noel

Song Writer of the Year - Pitson

Online/ Digital Personality of The Year - Kabi and Milly for the WaJesus Family

Video Producer of the Year - Steve Mugo

The Audio Producer of The Year - Gideon Kimanzi

Breakthrough Female Artist of The Year - Emma Omonge

Breakthrough Male Artist of The Year - Baraka Musiq

Breakthrough Dj of the Year - Ken the Dj

Media Personality of The Year-  Syombua Mwele

Praise and Worship Song of the Year - Eunice Njeri Zaidi na Zaidi

Nyanza Counties Song of the Year - Conquerer - Fenny Kerubo

Rift Valley Song of the Year - Kapchi - Mum Cherop 

Eastern Counties Song of the Year - Stephen Kasolo

Coastal Song of the Year - Nakupenda - Eve Bahati

Central Song of the Year - Mutheani - Phyllis Mbuthia and Sammy Irungu

Western Song of the Year - Lwanda ni Yesu - Timothy Kitui and Ali Mukhwana

About Groove Awards

Since 2004, Groove Awards has celebrated excellence in gospel music in Kenya and across Africa.

The awards, entering their 14th year, are Kenya’s most prestigious and recognized gospel awards with a regional resonance and relevance. Groove seeks to promote gospel music as a message of hope and an avenue to address issues affecting young people across the African continent with a key focus on its main objective - Shaping culture through positive content and entertainment.

Groove Awards has seen over 2,500 artists/groups nominated and 900 Groove statuettes presented to gospel musicians in Kenya and East Africa region.