IT’S GOING to be another dramatic and electrifying season, as the Primus Guma Guma Superstar competition returns. The artistes will be battling it out for a Rwf24m prize, fame and the chance to become a household name in music industry.

The grand finale is slated for August 9 at Amahoro Stadium.

Now that PGGSS season four nominees have been named, The New Times’ entertainment critic Dean Karemera reviews the chances of each nominee. Who is likely to make the final list of the top 10 and probably go on to win the competition? 

Diane Teta

She has a smooth voice, unique talent and a strong team that helps her grow her musical talent, but that’s as far as it goes. Unfortunately, she has only two songs to her name: Undi Munsi and Canga Ikarita. Her other hit songs Fata Fata and Call Me are collabos with various artistes and will not be allowed to be performed. It remains to be seen if she will perform two songs for five months.

Active Boys 

It is hard to understand how Active Group made it to PGGSS 4 nominees when they have only one single Ayaiya and a collabo with Danny Nanone, Udukoryo Twinshi. Apart from their stage performances and dancing moves, there’s actually nothing much to write about Active Group. How far they will go, your guess is as good as mine. 

Uncle Austin 

Talk about the proverbial cat with nine lives, Uncle Austin has managed to survive a flopped album launch and weeks in the ‘coolers’ to make it to PGGSS 4. His popularity is largely based on his work as a radio presenter. He has two albums to his name and has featured in hit collaborations but he’ll need more than his day-job to go through the initial round. 

Knowless

Having risen to a higher level and survived in a male dominated industry, she’s a strong contender to win this competition. Knowless has participated in the previous three editions of PGGSS, where she performed but only made it to the top four last year. She will rely on this experience and the success of her previous songs to rise to the top. She recently shot music videos in Dubai for her Uwo Ndiwe album. 

Bruce Melody 

He is one of Rwanda’s most promising talents, a strong competitor and one of the few local musicians with amazing vocal abilities. He started his career in 2010 and has worked with various musicians including Jamal from Uganda, Jay Polly, Uncle Austin and Ama-G the Black among others. He will hope to be the crowd’s favourite with hits such as, Tubivemo, Ndumiwe, Telephone and Uzandabure, which was an instant success. His performance at the Miss Rwanda 2014 finale was breathtaking. 

Edouce 

The Afrobeat musician is another new singing sensation on the Rwandan music scene. Edouce kicked off his music career in 2010 with mediocre hits but 2013 was a big year for him. With a smooth voice and catchy beats, he has managed to release two hits singles Akandi ku Mutima, Oxygen and Nari Ngukumbuye that received massive airplay on Rwandan radio stations. He has strong competition in Uncle Austin who prides himself as the best in Afrobeat songs, but his journey might end soon… won’t be long. 

Oda Paccy 

She is currently a sensation with her hit-single ruling the airwaves but Paccy will have to count on her lucky stars to shine. She is a first-timer in PGGSS and its bad enough that she has to go against Knowless. Worse still she did not launch her second album neither was it a hit. Nonetheless, Paccy will ride on her luck as the only female rapper in PGGSS4 but the first elimination round will tell how far she can go. 

Christopher 

Coming fast on the heels of his first and successful album launch, R&B singer Christopher Muneza is taking part in PGGSS again. Christopher is among the few R&B musicians in the country but will have to contend with serious and established artistes in that genre. For Christopher, it will come down to his vocals and competition with Bruce Melody. 

Jay Polly

He is one of the best hip-hop artistes in the country and a strong contender for the ultimate prize. He is the brain behind Tuff Gang crew, and he lost out to King James in PGGSS 2, where he came second-runner up. 

With over 24 singles under his belt, Jay Polly’s time maybe now but he has to release a new album or hit singles to prove his worth. 

Urban Boyz 

Arguably the most talented music group in the country, Urban Boyz group is famous for several hits such as Fata Fata, Bagupfusha Ubusa, Ancilla, Wampoye Iki and Marry Me, among others.

Their latest hit Affection night is Kigali’s mainstream anthem. The group emerged as 1st runner-up in PGGSS 3 last year. Watch out for them.

Senderi International Hit

As far as launches go, Senderi had a big turnout for his album launch in the Eastern region. 

The album- Nsomyaho is his first after recording 42 songs and participating in all the previous competitions. Senderi’s Afrobeat genre is tightly competitive. He has to combine his stage performance with his charming personality to get ahead of the pack. 

His concerts usually attract massive turn up because of his likeable persona but in the end he will have to rely on his talent to help him win. 

Jules Sentore

A nephew to Intore Massamba and a grandchild of Sentore Athanse, Jules Sentore performs traditional music. He belongs to the popular Gakondo Group that has a big fan base of adults and traditional music enthusiasts. 

He has managed to record hit singles such as Udatsikira, Urabe Intwari and Akazuba and has landed collaborations with traditional music legends; Intore Masamba, Mariya Yohani, Cyoya, Prince and Muyango. He is a force to reckon with but he shouldn’t think his popular name or band will have a hand in it. 

Ama G The Black 

Described as the "Noise-maker”, Ama G has come a long way in the music industry featuring in countless hit-collaborations and mega hit singles. 

He has been in the game for some years and recorded songs with the likes of Riderman, King James, Kizito Mihigo, Bruce Melody, Kamichi, Théo Bosebabireba, among others. 

The rapper launched his second album dubbed Turi ku Ishuri. He is a real threat to other contenders.

Dream Boyz 

They kicked off the competition journey in PGGSS 3 with a massive force that many people thought they were favourites to win the title. However, as the competition proceeded, they fell into a lapse and settled for third place. 

The duo has four albums to their name and will launch their first concert in March in the Northern Province. The duo has also collaborated with other local and regional artistes on numerous singles, including Eddie Kenzo, T-Max, Kitoko, Urban Boyz, Riderman and Radio and Weasel. Consistency will be a key element in pushing these boys further in the competition.

Kamichi 

Afrobeat sensation Kamichi has reason to worry because as far as his specific genre goes, it’s a turf for fierce competition. With numerous awards and a big following, he may have to dig deeper into his talent to make it through PGGSS 4. With several hit singles and collaborations, Kamichi’s chances of winning will depend on whether he over comes the first hurdle of elimination.