Ghanaian-American singer Moliy has become the first Ghanaian artist to win a Caribbean Music Award, taking Dancehall Song of the Year for “Shake It to the Max (Fly) Remix.”
The award was presented Saturday, Sept. 19, at the fourth edition of the Caribbean Music Awards, held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. It was the first time the ceremony has been staged in the Caribbean, after earlier editions in Brooklyn, New York.
Moliy’s Caribbean Music Awards win and the nominations
The song, a remix featuring Jamaican dancehall artists Shenseea and Skillibeng and producer Silent Addy, led the field with three nominations: Dancehall Song of the Year, Dancehall Collaboration of the Year and Dancehall Video of the Year.
Shenseea, who also featured on the track, extended her streak in the category after winning Dancehall Song of the Year in 2025 for “Hit & Run” with Masicka and Di Genius. Soca News reported that the song also took Dancehall Collaboration of the Year, an award it said was shared. Shenseea took the most dancehall awards, with three including Female Dancehall Artist of the Year, according to World Music Views.
The remix pairs Moliy’s Afrobeats-influenced sound with Jamaican dancehall, and Pulse Ghana said the win continues a strong awards run for the song.
More than 250 nominees competed across more than 40 categories spanning soca, dancehall, reggae, bouyon, konpa, chutney soca, zess and jab. Trinidad and Tobago’s Kes and Lady Lava were among the major soca winners, Grenada’s V’ghn won two jab awards, and Jamaica’s Ayetian won Best New Artist. Dominica’s Ridge was named Bouyon Artist of the Year. Winners came from Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Jamaica, Dominica and Ghana.
Who is Moliy?
Born Moliy Ama Montgomery on Oct. 4, 2001, in Accra, Moliy grew up between Accra and Florida. Reports credit her breakout hit with passing 1 billion streams worldwide. She was the first Ghanaian to perform at the BET Awards and the first to exceed 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
She has also received the Billboard Africa Hit Maker Award, been nominated for MTV Video Music Awards in the Best Afrobeats and Song of the Summer categories, and was named to the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 class of 2026. She is also a Billboard Africa cover star. Moliy turned 25 earlier this month.
Rapper Sarkodie hailed her as “queen” after the win, and fans and industry peers celebrated the milestone, DailyGuide reported. DailyGuide said her success shows African music has no borders. Coverage followed from Ghanaian, Trinidadian and international outlets.
