This year’s Music Television Europe Music Awards (MTV EMA) did not take place with all the pomp and pageantry that will usually come with it, but the organizers went ahead to announce the winners, all the same.
The ceremony had been scheduled for November 5, 2023, in Paris, France but MTV called off the awards a few weeks before the show.
Organizers attributed their decision to the “volatility of world events” in a statement on October 19, which had been circulated online.
However, fans had voted, and a list of winners was released on Sunday, November 5, 2023, with two of Africa’s top Afrobeats talents, Diamond Platnumz and Rema, featuring prominently.
Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz won Best African Act, while Calm Down hitmaker Rema won Afrobeats Song of the Year.
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Other big winners from across the world include Blank Space composer Taylor Swift who won three awards: Best Artist, Best Live, and Best Video for the song Anti-Hero.
The Best US Act went to Nicki Minaj, who also won Best Hip-Hop artiste while Chris Brown won Best R&B Artiste.
Just like the Grammys, the Afrobeats category in the MTV EMA was a new creation, and Rema once again stood out tall, beating competition from Davido, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, and Aya Nakamura.
Titanium creator David Guetta also won the Best Electronic category.
The 2023 MTV EMA was supposed to have been broadcast live to more than 150 countries from Paris. It would have marked the first time the ceremony went to the City of Light since 1995.
The awards ceremony was canceled for the first time since it was launched in 1994.
MTV, in the statement announcing the cancellation of the event, stated it was taking “caution for the thousands of employees, crew members, artistes, fans, and partners who travel from all corners of the world to bring the show to life.”
“The MTV EMAs are an annual celebration of global music. As we watch the devastating events in Israel and Gaza continue to unfold, this does not feel like a moment for a global celebration.
“With thousands of lives already lost, it is a moment of mourning….we look forward to hosting the MTV EMAs again in November 2024,” the statement added.