Every year, as the Harmattan dust settles and the Easter chickens begin plotting their escape, Ghana’s music scene gears up for its real festive season: awards season.
Forget the first rains or fresh kelewele wafting through the streets of Osu—this is when the big players roll out the red carpets, cue the pyrotechnics, and line up the acceptance speeches. The Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA), usually lands with fanfare. The 3Music Awards, not to be outdone, throws in its own dose of glitz, social commentary, and category innovation. Then there’s the growing constellation of smaller awards—Ghana Music Awards USA, regional and genrespecific shows—all battling to define who truly ruled the soundwaves.
In theory, these awards are supposed to be a celebration of musical excellence. In practice? They’re more like a political campaign season with better outfits and louder sound systems.
Between disqualified hits, eyebrow-raising nominations, and enough “industry board decisions” to make a parliamentary debate look transparent, one question echoes louder each year:
The Envelope, Please…
At the core of the Ghanaian music industry’s awards ecosystem is a fundamental question no one seems able — or willing — to answer clearly: Who decides what’s hot?
For years, artistes and fans alike have whispered — and occasionally tweeted — their skepticism about how these awards are decided. Is it popularity? Is it artistry? Is it who shook the right hands in the smoky back rooms of Accra? And why, for heaven’s sake, does the same artist win “Artiste of the Year” two years in a row — even when they spent most of the year out of town “working on new sounds”?
It’s no wonder that when a 3Music Awards official once described their voting system as “transparent and collaborative,” some Ghanaians blinked harder than someone trying to decode Shatta Wale’s Instagram captions.
The Trust Deficit
Let’s not mince words: Ghana’s music awards culture is suffering from a serious trust deficit. While both VGMA and 3Music Awards have made valiant attempts to rebrand and restructure over the years, a sizable portion of the public remains unconvinced.
Accusations of favoritism, political interference, backdoor lobbying, and “category shifting” have become as common as poor mic quality during live performances. Artists who were wildly popular on the streets — think underground drill groups, gospel innovators, or TikTok breakout stars — are often overlooked in favor of industry darlings with more clout than catalog.
In a painfully ironic twist, the very people these awards are supposed to celebrate — the artists — are increasingly disengaged. Some have publicly boycotted the shows. Others attend with the enthusiasm of someone waiting at DVLA.
The Case of the Perpetually Snubbed
Every Ghanaian music lover can name at least three artists who were scandalously snubbed at the awards. The underground rapper whose debut EP sparked a cultural movement. The gospel singer whose song kept people afloat during the pandemic. The Afro-fusionist who charted globally but left the TGMA stage empty-handed, again.
These aren’t just minor oversights — they’re signals of a larger system that often fails to reflect the full spectrum of Ghana’s musical reality. It’s like hosting a Ghanaian food contest and forgetting to invite Waakye, Fufu and Jollof — culturally criminal.
Meanwhile, certain genres like highlife, reggae-dancehall, or contemporary gospel often feel like token categories, while regional artists outside Accra are treated like exotic animals trotted out for amusement, then ignored until the next awards cycle.
Gatekeeping vs. Meritocracy
So who’s really running the show?
Award committees claim to rely on a blend of academy votes, board decisions, and public voting — but the formulas are as opaque as the lyrics of a late-night hiplife freestyle. The “academy” is often made up of media insiders, producers, and executives whose tastes don’t always reflect what’s happening on the ground.
The gap between grassroots popularity and industry recognition has never been wider. While artists rack up millions of streams on Audiomack and dominate TikTok trends, they still lose out to artists with better PR teams and label budgets.
And if you dare question the system? You’re labeled “bitter,” “entitled,” or worse — “ungrateful.” Because in Ghana, questioning power often means you’ve just ensured you won’t win anything next year either.
Time for a Rethink
To be clear: Awards are not inherently bad. They offer validation, boost bookings, and provide artists with that oh-so-important Instagram bio brag: “TGMA-nominated Artiste”. But if they’re going to matter, they need to mean something real.
It’s time Ghana’s music awards moved beyond flash and favoritism to embrace transparency, regional diversity, genre fairness, and digital era relevance. That means:
• Publishing full voting breakdowns.
• Creating space for emerging and street-level artists.
• Expanding the voting academy to include more DJs, content creators, and fans outside Accra.
• Recognizing impact, not just industry politics.
Imagine an award show where an artist from Bolgatanga who trended for 8 months on TikTok actually wins, where Gospel doesn’t feel like an afterthought, and where performance categories reward creativity, not just crowd size.
A Culture Worth Celebrating — Properly
Ghana’s music is booming — from the Asakaa streets of Kumasi to the London soundscapes of Amaarae and the soul of Black Sherif’s broken voice. We have culture, rhythm, swagger, and stories that move continents.
So let’s have awards that match that energy — that honourartistry, not just algorithmic popularity or media politics. Let’s reward risks. Let’s celebrate substance. And let’s finally ask, with bold clarity:
Who decides what’s hot — and why aren’t we all part of the answer?
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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