South African musician Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and Ghanaian reggae dancehall artiste Stonebwoy won coveted orange blimps at Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2019 in partnership with Wimpy in South Africa on Sunday, 24 March. Hosted by music mogul DJ Khaled, the unpredictable and always messy awards show premiered on NickToons (DStv channel 308) fresh from USC’s Galen Center in Los Angeles, where kids celebrated their favourites in pop culture, television, music, social media and movies.
“Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2019 unites children across the globe by providing them with a powerful platform to vote for and celebrate their favourite personalities. Congratulations to AKA and Stonebwoy for their respective wins and for representing Africa,” said Alex Okosi, executive vice president and managing director for VIMN Africa and BET International.
The Fela in Versace, AKA, who travelled independently to the awards, walked the orange carpet at the Los Angeles event and chatted with international press including South African social media influencer Nadia Jaftha – who was also in Los Angeles for the Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2019.
“I would like to thank Nickelodeon Africa and Nickelodeon International for honouring me with this award. Thank you to the fans who voted and, of course, thank you to the kids. The kids are the most important thing we have right now on the planet because the kids are the future, the kids keep me relevant and the kids keep me on top of my game. Thank you very much and I am very happy to bring this award back to South Africa,” said AKA.
This year’s party kicked off with DJ Khaled making his way to the Kids’ Choice Awards in style, with an assist from friends Kylie Jenner and the Jonas Brothers. His next-level arrival began with a ride in a Rolls Royce Phantom, followed by a cruise on a luxury yacht, and a trip on board the ‘Kids’ Force One’ helicopter before landing at the Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2019.
“I feel so good and grateful for winning the Favourite Africa Star category of the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2019. Guess what? I couldn’t have done it without your votes, so thank you very much for voting for me and I hope you guys enjoy the rest of the slime at the Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2019,” said Stonebwoy.
The awards which were broadcasted in partnership with Wimpy also saw some winners including Chris Pratt, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Ellen DeGeneres, Adam Sandler, Robert Downey Jr, Shawn Mendes, Zendaya, Noah Centineo, Selena Gomez, Joey King, Jace Norman, JoJo Siwa, David Dobrik, Avengers: Infinity War, Riverdale and DJ Khaled.
“A big Wimpy congratulations to the winners of this year’s Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2019. Thank you for entertaining the children and making their childhood fun and enjoyable,” said Jacques Cronjé, marketing executive at Wimpy.