Pulse Picks: 21 best songs of 2023

1. Omwenge by Azawi

Omwenge, which was produced by Bangar Boi, is among the jams on Azawi's Sankofa album. Its beautiful video, which was filmed by Marvin Musoke, currently has over 200k views on YouTube.

2. Yenze by Iryn Namubiru

Yenze is undoubtedly one of the best ballads that have come out of Ugandan studios this year.

The song is off Iryn Namubiru's latest collection of songs titled 'All Time Classics Volume III'. The Rhumba jam was produced by Josh Wonder and written by Theo Sharma.

3. 10 over 10

10 over 10 is also off the Sankofa album and it was also produced by Bangar Boi. Anel Tunes mixed and mastered the earworm which was written by Azawi herself.

Its video, directed by Aaronaire, currently has over 1.4 million views on YouTube.

4. Onkubye Nyo by Nwagi

Okubye Nyo is less than a month old but it's a banger. It was produced by Bangar Boi and its video was directed by Zyga Phix.

5. Question by Bebe Cool

Bebe Cool hired Ronnie on Dis One to record Question whose video was filmed by Sasha Vybz. Zulitums wrote the song.

6. Ebiseera Ebyo by King Saha

Ebiseera Ebyo, which inspired King Saha’s 2023 concert, was produced by D’Mario, and its video, now at over 1.1 million views, was directed by Darlington.

7. Nana by Joshua Baraka

The video of Nana, at 3.3 million views, is among the most watched Ugandan music videos this year. It was directed by Prnz. The remix featuring King Promise, Joeboy and Bien also has over 1.1 million views.

8. Okwepicha by Gravity

Arguably the most viral song on social media, Okwepicha was produced by Bless Touch at Crefila Records.

The video, which was filmed by Aaronaire, features the comedian Amooti Omubalanguzi.

9. Salary by Ugaboys

Selecta Jeff was featured on Ugaboys’ Salary, one of the best collaborations of 2023.

10. Nothing by Elijah Kitaka

It's the first song Kitaka released after being signed by Swangz Avenue. It's off his Bedroom Essentials album, which was co-produced by Bangar Boi and Steve Keys.

The song was also remixed by The Mith, Kohen Jaycee, Timothy Code, Wonder JR and Vyper Ranking.

11. Last Chance by Acidic Vokoz

Last Chance, produced by Dropper Beats, is an earworm. Its video, which has over half a million views, was directed by Edrine Paul.

12. Party by Alien Skin

Released six months ago, Party by Alien Skin has 2 million views on YouTube. It’s his most-watched video, followed by Sitya Danger with 1.6 million views.

Other popular songs by Alien Skin this year are Twayisewo Dda, Tonzijukiza Lockdown, Private Part, I Am Me; Binyuma, a duet with Clever J; and Mitwe, a collabo with Dax Kartel

13. This Year by Omega 256

It was produced by Nessim and the video was directed by Bust.

14. Risk by Vyroota

Produced by Abanbeats and mastered by Nexo with a video directed by Sydney Wala. At 2 million views on YouTube, the song is among the most watched this year.

At the end of 2022, Abanbeats also produced Vyroota's Ndibulungi, another big hit.

15. Chai Wenjaye

This song by Omutume Planet trended massively. It has 1.6 million views on YouTube. It was produced by Dropper Beats at Ark Records and the video was directed by Zattabu. It remains his most popular song.

16. Beautiful Mami by Rickman

It was produced by Chemical Beatz and the video, which has over half a million views -- was made by Zyga Phix.

17. Bailando

Vinka's Bailando was produced by Daddy Andre. Its video, shot by Marvin Musoke, has 4.2 million views on YouTube and it's the most-watched song this year.

18. Chekecha

Chekecha, which is the most-watched song on Karole Kasita’s YouTube channel at 3.4 million, was remixed by Vinka and Winnie Nwagi, putting among the best song collaborations of 2023.

19. Crazy Company by B2C & Fik Fameica

This collaboration between Kampala Boys and Fik Fameica was produced by Nessim and its video was filmed by Jahlive.

20. Amina by Geosteady

Its video, shot by Greym, has 238k views on YouTube. It was produced by Nessim and mastered by Anel Tunes.

21. Cheza for Yesu

This song by Gabriel Ntaate was produced by Josh Wonder and, in 11 days, it has over 230k views on YouTube. She wrote it herself.