Dat time of di year don reach again as ogbonge musicians for Ghana go hassle to win top awards for dia work ova di last one year.
Di Telecel Ghana Music Awards na di kontri flagship awards scheme wey dey reward musicians wey release hit songs, play shows and get plenti streaming figures for a calendar year.
Organisers tok say dis year na di 25th anniversary of di awards scheme na so dem go make e sweet well well.
For 2023, na Black Sherif wey win di topmost prize – artiste of di year.
Before Black sherif, afrobeats star Kidi win am for 2022 wey gospel musician Diana Hamilton win for 2021.
Di 25th edition of di awards event don dey cause anxiety among music fans.
So which musicians dey artiste of di year category?
Dis year, six ogbonge musicians dey among di shortlist, but sabi pipo and odas figure say three of dem get di biggest chance to win.
1. Stonebwoy
For 2015, di dancehall artiste win di artiste of di year award for di event afta im beat competition from rapper Sarkodie, EL, Samini, Daddy Lumba among odas.
Dis year, di Reggae/Dancehall artiste get 15 nominations in all.
Some na best reggae/dancehall artiste and song of di year, telecel most popular song, collaboration of di year and international collaboration of di year wit im song wit Beninois-French legend, Angelique Kidjo (Manodzi).
Pundits and fans of di musician say im deserve to win di ultimate prize sake of im release im 5th dimension album, wey im shoot four music videos for im songs for di year under review.
Stonebwoy also play plenti shows outside Ghana – some for America, Canada, Australia, Germany, UK, Guyana, Italy among odas.
Im also organize im own concert for di Accra sports stadium wit thousands of patrons.
Im also feature on top di remix of legendary Bob Marley im song, Buffalo soldier.
Stonebwoy also get plenti streaming numbers for iTunes, boomplay and Spotify.
Di musician wey di name im mama take give am na Livingstone Satekla also play plenti shows across Ghana wey im do charity works for many villages and communities.
2. King Promise
King Promise na anoda musician plenti pipo don dey tip to win artiste of di year.
Di afrobeats musician get six nominations for dis year music awards.
Some of di categories na most popular song, international collaboration, afropop song and afropop/afrobeats artiste of di year.
Even though King Promise neva win di ultimate artiste of di year award before, im den im fans say di terminator hitmaker deserve to win am.
Im hit song ‘terminator’ don blow across di world wey im gather crazy numbers on boomplay, Spotify, Apple Music and audiomack.
Im also top charts for Nigeria, UK, Indonesia and South Korea.
King Promise wey im real name na Gregory Bortey Newman also release anoda hit song ‘perfect combi’ wey also blow well well.
For di year under review, King Promise don play shows for plenti kontris like UK, US, Germany, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Netherlands among odas.
Kind promise also carry im tour go Singapore, Bali and Indonesia.
For local shows, di terminator hitmaker also play plenti of dem wey im also tour some high schools.
Im also organize im own concert for Accra.
3. Kuami Eugene
Afrobeats/highlife artiste Kuami Eugene also dey di running for di artiste of di year prize.
Kuami Eugene wey win di same award for 2020 also tok say im put in di work to deserve di top prize.
Kuami Eugene get 14 nominations for dis year award.
Di 27-year-old release im ‘love and chaos’ album for di year under review.
Di album don gather ova 150 million streams wey some of di songs don top charts for Ghana and abroad.
For boomplay, audiomack, Spotify and oda streaming platforms, im songs blow too.
Some of di nominations im get na highlife artiste, song of di year, highlife song, international collaboration, best video, afrobeats song of di year among odas.
Im songs ‘Monica’ and ‘Crypocurrency’ don scatter platforms.
Kuami Eugene don get one accident for March dis year wey im hurt.
But afta some time for hospital and recovery, Eugene release one song wey im title na ‘Canopy’.
Di song tok about how im dey under di canopy of God na so im no fit to die.
Dat song too get massive airply for radio, TV and social media.
4. Nacee
Nacee na di only gospel musician for di artiste of di year category dis year.
Di singer, songwriter grab four nominations.
Dem be best gospel song, most popular song, gospel artiste of di year den artiste of di year.
Nacee wey don dey di industry for more dan ten years go hope say im go fit to beat Stonebwoy, King Promise and Kuami Eugene to win di award.
Before Nacee, two oda gospel musicians don win di artiste of di year award.
Dem na Joe Mettle for 2017 wey Diana Hamilton win am for 2021.
Some pipo for di gospel fraternity get hope say Nacee go fit to become di third gospel musician to win dat award but di competition dey tight.
Nacee wey dem born am Nana Kwaku Osei tok for one interview say “if I win di award, Ghana Music Awards go get more reach and exposure sake of e dey normal if di odas win but if I win, na there di surprise go dey”.
Wit im hit song ‘Aseda’ wey blow all ova di kontri and oda places, Nacee gather huge numbers for streaming platforms.
Im also play some shows for di US and di UK wey im play oda shows for Ghana.
Nacee also host im own concert for Accra.
5. Black Sherif
Black sherif na di reigning artiste of di year. But im go fit give up dat title afta di awards event.
For di year under review, Blacko despite say im play plenty shows outside di kontri, im no fit scatter everywhere like im do for 2023.
Di 2023 BET nominee drop some singles wey im get six nominations for dis year Ghana Music Awards.
Dem be best hiphop song, best music video, most popular song, hiplife/hiphop artiste of di year among odas.
For im social media platforms, di ‘first & second sermon’ hitmaker neva tok about di nominations for di telecel Ghana Music Awards.
Many sabi pipo tok say im no do enough to win di top prize dis year.
6. Sarkodie
Di oda ogbonge artiste wey dey inside di artiste of di year category na King Sarkodie.
Sarkodie don win di top prize two times for im career for 2010 and 2012.
Im also be di most decorated artiste for di kontri with ova 100 awards.
Im don dey win one award or another for di Ghana Music Awards consistently since im last win di artiste of di year for 2012.
For di year under review, dem nominate di rapper for best hiphop song, best afropop song, international collaboration, best rap performance and best hiplife/hiphop artiste.
Apart from say im song ‘Otan’ scatter charts wey im perform well for streaming platforms, Sarkodie also organize im annual rapperholic concert for Accra.
Im also play some shows outside di kontri.
Organisers of di awards don tok wetin be di category definition.
Dem tok say for pesin to win di artiste of di year, im for dey adjudged by di academy, board and di general public say im get di highest audience appeal and popularity for di year under review.
Di artiste need to release a hit single or EP or album wey im for be one of di best artistes wit di highest nominations for di year under review.
Nomination list
Oda categories to watch
Apart from di ultimate artiste of di year, oda categories of interest na
Most popular song of di year
– Hosanna – Banzy Banero
– Yaya – Black Sherif
– Scar – Gyakie ft JBee
– Victory – Joyce Blessing
– Liquor – Kidi ft Stonebwoy
– Terminator – Kings promise
– Monica – Kuami Eugene
– Case remix – Mr Drew ft Mophty
– Aseda – Nacee
– Goodsin – Olivetheboy
– Otan – Sarkodie
– Into the future – Stonebwoy
International collaboration of di year
– Scar – Gyakie ft JBee
– Butter my bread – Jyzno gt Lasmid
– Terminator – King Promise
– Manodzi – Stonebwoy ft Angelique Kidjo
– Cryptocurrency – Kuami Eugene ft Rotimi
– Wotowoto seasoning – Odumodublack ft Black Sherif
– Till we die – Sarkodie ft Ruger
– Prefect Combi – King Promise ft Gabzy
Best highlife artiste
– Abiana
– Akwaboah
– Kofi Kinaata
– Kuami Eugene
– FRA
Best rap performance
– The hardest – Amerado
– Warning – ENO Barony
– Bissiako – Fimfim
– 5th August (7) – Lyrical Joe
– We made it – Medikal
– Otan – Sarkodie
– Dear God – Strongman
Reggae/Dancehall artiste of di year
– Epixode
– Ras Kuuku
– Stonebwoy
– Samini
Best African artiste of di year
– Rema
– Asake
– Burna Boy
– Tyla
– Davido
– Jzyno
Best new artiste
– Banzy Banero
– DSL
– KING Paluta
– Maya Blu
– Olivetheboy
– Oseikrom sikanii
Di event dey usually see plenti of di big stars performing to packed audiences wey organisers always get one surprise or anoda.
Dis year no go be different as organisers don tok say dis na 25th anniversary event, we e for blast well well.
