GLORIA MULIRO, MR TEE & REUBEN KIGAME TOP WINNERS AT HTA IMPACT GOSPEL AWARDS

HTA Impact Gospel Awards announced the list of 2020 winners.  This was a culmination of a vigorous selection process that began with public nominations, from which the Craft Committee then picked a final list.

Members of the Academy Board then sat and picked the final winners of the award ceremony. Seasoned gospel artists, considered a benchmark by many, dominated the list of 2020 winners launched during an invite only event at the Serena Hotel on December 6.

Topping that list was veteran gospel singer and songwriter, Reuben Kigame who won Artiste of the year and Community Impact, Gloria Muliro who clinched song of the year for Nakubaliana and Antony Mwangi aka Mr Tee winning online Gospel influencer of the year.

Reacting to his win, veteran gospel artiste called for the music industry to embrace the concept of academy awards because vote-based awards have a tendency to promote mediocrity. With over 33 years of industry experience, Reuben has over 29 albums to his name and is considered a living legend by many in the space.

He says, “At the onset of my career, I was almost thrown out of church for introducing reggae and rhumba to the church. I am proud to see that artists who are pushing the envelope way more than I did are now being accepted. No one wants to be attended to by an unqualified doctor, in the same way no one wants to listen to a quack gospel musician. We must all ask ourselves when our time on earth is over what shall we leave behind when it’s all said and done.”

The gospel space has long been criticized for missing the mark, when it comes to generating genuinely inspirational content. Many big wigs in the industry have been caught in scandals and situations that don’t represent the message they stand for. In a move designed to create a yardstick for the industry, winners were picked based on their score on integrity, excellence and creativity.

Some of the new names that were feted include Mike Manoa for Worship Leader of the year, Njoki Munyi– Budding Artist and Godwill Babette– Song Writer of the Year. The award show is run by Hifadhi Talanta Africa an organization that fosters talent development among the youth

“Some of the winners are not the faces we are used to, our target was to award and celebrate impact; I am glad we achieved that,” Violet Wanjala HTA founder.