Sheebah Receives ODA Award For Africa’s Musical Superstar
Sheebah Receives ODA Award For Africa's Musical Superstar
Ugandan singer Sheebah Karungi has received an ODA Award recognising her as an “Africa’s Musical Superstar” celebrating a career that has taken her music and cultural influence beyond Uganda.
Sheebah announced the honour on social media saying she had finally received the award and thanking the ODA Awards Ethiopia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and her fans known as the Sheebaholics for their support.
On behalf of Ag. Foreign Affairs Minister Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo, Ambassador Charles Ssentongo presented the ODA Award to Sheebah recognizing her outstanding artistry and role in promoting Uganda’s cultural identity across Africa and beyond.
The singer described the recognition as an honour for her outstanding artistry and cultural influence beyond borders.
The award adds another international accolade to the career of one of Uganda’s best-known female musicians.
The ODA Award is an Ethiopian awards platform established to recognise excellence in the arts.
Its organisers say the awards have increasingly sought to promote regional collaboration and African cultural exchange with a particular focus on Ethiopian and East African artists.
The awards have also expanded their recognition beyond Ethiopia.
At the ninth ODA Awards in 2025 held in Addis Ababa, Malian music legend Oumou Sangaré was honoured with the title “Africa’s Musical Superstar” for her contribution to African music and her influence as a cultural ambassador.
Sheebah’s latest recognition therefore places her name alongside artists who have been celebrated by the platform for their wider contribution to African music.
Sheebah, whose full name is Sheebah Karungi, has been one of Uganda’s most prominent female performers for more than a decade.
She initially gained attention as a dancer before establishing herself as a solo musician.
Her breakthrough included songs such as Ice Cream, followed by a string of popular releases that helped establish her as a leading figure in Uganda’s contemporary music scene.
Her music has drawn from genres including Afro-pop, dancehall, reggae and R&B. She has also released albums including Nkwatako, Karma Queen and Samali.
Sheebah’s influence has not been limited to the Ugandan market.
Her collaborations with artists from across East Africa have helped introduce her music to audiences in neighbouring countries.
She has worked with musicians including Rwanda’s Bruce Melodie and The Ben, while her music has also found audiences across the wider region.
Her regional profile has made her one of Uganda’s more recognisable female music exports.
The ODA recognition reflects that wider reach, particularly its emphasis on artists whose work contributes to cultural exchange across African borders.
The award comes at a time when African music is increasingly crossing national and linguistic boundaries.
Artists from East, West and Southern Africa are collaborating more frequently, while streaming platforms have made it easier for listeners to discover music outside their home countries.
For Ugandan musicians, this has created opportunities to reach audiences that would previously have been difficult to access.
Her work has travelled beyond Uganda not only through recordings but also through collaborations, performances and her growing regional fan base.
In her announcement, Sheebah thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Uganda for its support, alongside the ODA Awards organisers and her fans.
She ended her message by thanking those who had supported her career and expressing gratitude to God.
The involvement of Uganda’s foreign affairs ministry also highlights the growing role of cultural diplomacy in promoting Ugandan artists abroad.
Music and entertainment have increasingly become tools through which African countries project their culture and identity internationally.
For an artist such as Sheebah, an award in Ethiopia offers recognition not only in another African country but within the wider East African cultural space.
Sheebah continues to release music, with her recent catalogue including singles such as Nsi Namba, Da-Re and Mummy Wange.
The latest award arrives after years of building a career through music, dance and performance.
For her fans, the recognition is another indication of how far the singer has travelled from her early days in Uganda’s entertainment industry.
