All the Winners of the 2025 MOBO Awards Revealed

The Central Chief, Bashi, and Aira Starr were among the prominent winners at the 2025 Mobo Mobo Awards – see the complete list of winners below.

Event Highlights

The 27th edition of the annual award ceremony, which honors the music of black origin, took place at the Newcubus Arena on Tuesday evening (February 18), hosted by comedian Eddie Kadi and Island of Love star India Polae.

The show aired live on YouTube at 8 PM, while the exclusive “access to all areas” broadcast will be available on BBC One on Friday (February 21) at 23:25.

Bashi received the prestigious Album of the Year award for his first record in 15 years, “To Be Poor,” which has also been recognized as one of the 50 best albums of 2024 by NME. He was additionally recognized as the Best Hip-Hop Act.

Notable Winners

Darkoo also took home multiple awards, being recognized as the Best Woman Act and winning Song of the Year for “Favorite Girl,” featuring Deior. Aira Starr won awards for Best African Music and Best International Act. The artist Clothing also celebrated victories, taking home both Best Newcomer and Best R&B/Soul Act.

Additionally, Central Cee received the Best Men’s Act award for the third consecutive time, Ezra Collective was awarded Best Jazz Act, and Alt Blk Era was named Best Alternative Musical Act.

See the full list of winners here:

Best men’s act: Central Cee
Best female act: Another
Best newcomer: Dressyil
Album of the year: Bashi – “To Be Poor”
Song of the year: Darkoo (ft. Dess Dior) – “Favorite Girl”
Video of the year: Mneledia – “My Man”
Best hip-hop act: Bashi
Best act of grime: Skorcher
Best breakthrough act: Fast
Best R&B/Soul act: Dressyil
Best media personality: Children’s Show 90
Best African Musical Act: Aira Starr
Best performance in a TV show/film: Jacob Anderson in Interview with the Vampire
Best Electronic/Dance Musical Act: TSha
Best gospel act: Annatoria
Best jazz act: Ezra Collective
Best producer: Julse
Best Caribbean Musical Act: Shenseea
Best alternative musical act: Alt Blk Era
Best International Act: Aira Starr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSABE60HBLU

Moreover, two special awards were presented during the ceremony: Deniz Lewis received the Mobo Paving the Way Award, while Dancehall icon Vybz Kartel was awarded the Mobo Impact Award.

The event also featured live performances from artists such as Krept & Konan, Spice, Nova Twins, and Nao, alongside performances by the award winners Bashi, Darkoo, and Odeal.

On the eve of the ceremony, Kanya King CBE, founder and CEO of MOBO, stated: “Mobo has always been about creating cultural moments that reflect the richness and diversity of music, and this year will be no exception. Our celebration of R&B is set to be a standout event, showcasing an incredible array of genres on the MOBO stage.

“There’s something truly special about bringing these moments to life – experiences that fans can only find at MOBO. We can’t wait for even more surprises as we lead up to February 18.”