Amani, 2face round up ONE8 music supergroup

Amani is one of the most talented and beautiful singing stars ever to come out of Kenya.  Her name is a Swahili word that literally means peace and tranquillity, and the soothing sounds of Amani’s music reflect exactly that.  Amani, then still known as Cecilia Wairimu, started performing at an early age in church talent […]

Amani is one of the most talented and beautiful singing stars ever to come out of Kenya.  Her name is a Swahili word that literally means peace and tranquillity, and the soothing sounds of Amani’s music reflect exactly that.  Amani, then still known as Cecilia Wairimu, started performing at an early age in church talent shows and was already writing her own songs by the time she was in primary school.  By the time she was in high school she had already recorded her first single.
Her debut album, Amani was released in 2006, soon followed with the release of Tamani in 2007, both being awarded and acclaimed across the continent. She has won numerous awards including the Kenya Kisima Award in 2006 for Best Female Artist and Best Collaboration, and in 2007 for Best Female Boomba Artist. Amani has also been nominated for a Channel O video award in 2008 for Best Female Artist East Africa. In 2009 she won the MTV African Music Award for Best Female Artist alongside a slew of nominations at the 2009 Channel O Music Awards.
On his part, 2Face has achieved most of his success as a solo artist and is now one of the most internationally recognized celebrities Nigeria has produced in recent years. 2005 saw 2Face become a household name when he took home an MTV Europe award for best African Act, a Channel l Music Video Award for Best Male Video and Best African Video (both for “African Queen”) and a Kora award for Revelation of the Year. His video for African Queen was also the first video to be played on Pan African channel MTV Base. The song African Queen was also featured in the Hollywood feature film Phat Girlz.
In 2006 and 2007, 2Face won a MOBO award for Best African Act, a special recognition award at the Hip Hop World Awards, Channel O Music Video Award for Best African Pop for the song “Ole” and a Channel O Music Video Award for Best West African for the song “Ole.”  In 2008 he won a Nigerian Music Award for Album of the Year and R&B Song of the Year and a World Music Award for Best Nigerian Act.