On Saturday, June 1, 2024, all roads will lead to the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) Grand Arena for the 2024 Telecel Ghana Music Awards. The show will bestow accolades on musicians who have contributed to the Ghanaian music industry with their songs and albums in the year under review.
For many years, the coveted Artiste of the Year category has consistently sparked explosive conversations on who the winner should be. This year’s Artist of the Year nominees include Stonebwoy, King Promise, Nacee, Sarkodie, Black Sherif, and Kuami Eugene.
The Artiste of the Year, according to the Ghana Music Award board, is the Artiste(s) adjudged by the Academy, Board and the general public as the artiste with the highest audience appeal and popularity in the year under review. The artiste(s) must have released a hit single/EP/album and must be one of the artistes with the highest nominations in the year under review.
Stonebwoy, who leads the pack with 15 nominations, released a body of work titled “5th Dimension.” The album contains the hit single “Into the Future” and features the legendary Angelique Kidjo, with whom he collaborated on the song “Manodzi.” Last year, he headlined several reggae festivals, as well as his own sold-out show, “Bhim Concert,” which was held at the Accra Sports Stadium.
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Next on the list is King Promise, who dominated the airwaves with his hit singles “Terminator” and “Perfect Combi.” The songs received extensive airplay in Ghana and other countries, followed by a sold-out Asian tour. “Terminator” spawned two remix versions, one with Nigerian producer and artist Young Jon and the other with legendary Jamaican dancehall star Sean Paul. Prior to “Terminator,” King Promise released his second album, titled “5 Star.” The album produced hit songs like “10 toes” and “Chop life” with Nigeria’s Omah Lay and Patoranking, respectively, as well as “Ring My Line” featuring Headie One.
Nacee, the only gospel artist competing in the category, had a phenomenal year with “Aseda,” a popular gospel song that had Ghanaians singing along on all social media platforms. The song was well-received by Ghanaians in the gospel community. Nacee secured four nominations this year.
Sarkodie, who is no stranger to the category, comes in after Nacee. He released the inspirational single “Otan” to respond to his critics and the controversies that erupted during his Jamz world tour last year. “Otan” was released in late 2023, following the rapper’s return from his tour. Sarkodie received nominations in five categories this year.
Up next is Black Sherif, the reigning Artiste of the Year, who has four nominations this year. His outstanding debut album “The Villain I Never Was” established his name with hit singles such as “Soja,” “Oil in My Head,” “Paradise,” “Konongo Zongo,” and “Kweku the Traveller,” which reached number one on Nigeria’s top 100 Apple Music charts. He also hosted his own headlining show “Zaama Disco.”
Kwame Eugene, who won the coveted award in 2020 after a successful run in 2019, also released the “Love and Chaos” album, which included the popular songs “Monica,” “Fate,” and “Cryptocurrency.” Kuami Eugene was nominated in seven different categories this year.
Fans on social media have started dropping think pieces as to who wins the artiste of the year award. Some have tipped Stonebwoy as the winner, while others believe King Promise deserved the title, with some hoping Nacee will make history as the second gospel artist to win the title, among other things.
The big question here is who takes home the Artiste of the Year title for 2024?