INTENT IS NOT ENOUGH TO WIN AT THE TELECEL GHANA MUSIC AWARDS
It is 3:50 something, and Black Sherif has just been named Artiste of the Year at the TGMA for the second time in his very young career. Seated in the studios of Headless Media, where the watch party has been had, there’s a majority excitement as Blacko is announced the winner. This is a powerhouse of Ghanaian music who may be young but is pushing the boundaries of music and culture as it stands. He may not be the only one pushing Ghanaian music to the world, but he is arguably the leading artist by all metrics.
Congratulations to the amazing talents nominated in the various categories, with special recognition to Medikal, one of the leading favourites for the ultimate award. In all honesty, MDK deserves applause for his commitment to winning AOTY but unfortunately came short to his biggest competitor, Black Sherif. In the build-up to the event, there were shouts of consistency and longevity regarding why some artistes were more deserving than others, but those were words of ignorance because the criteria for winning were clearly stated in the category definitions of the award. Longevity and consistency were never a factor to consider in determining the winner. In fact, it was never a factor in the previous years, so it was really laughable to see people push such a narrative.
Black Sherif has had an excellent year under review, and if you doubted his potential, the end-of-year stats from the various streaming platforms should have given you an indication of how great a year the young man has had. Yes, individual preference reigns supreme, but we must also uphold honesty and factual data.
That notwithstanding, Medikal has been an outstanding artiste under the year of review too, churning out one of the biggest songs on the local scene, especially on the streets of Ghana across the four cardinal points; Medikal’s claim to the AOTY is as legitimate as England’s claim to the forthcoming World Cup tournament. MDK has been one of the country’s standout artists, and it is evident in the awards he swept on the night, including the most popular song of the year “Shoulder”. While we can argue between the two who was more deserving, we must also not lose sight of some hideous activities that occurred during the TGMA ceremony itself.
The TGMA is Ghana Music’s biggest award, and as such, there are a lot of expectations that come with the awards. Each year consumers go into the show expecting something special, and are met with disappointment with sweet toppings’ of disregard for public interest.
First off, the event is still preceded by a prolonged red carpet segment whose highlights are dry conversations and overplayed humour. As if that is not enough, the tradition of a poor opening performance (no fault of some of the artistes) continues despite calls by audiences who follow the show from the comfort of their homes for better Tv production. For context, this piece is being written by someone who watched the show online, like the over 50,000 viewers who watched the show from the comfort of their homes, pubs or private centres. For 27 years, if Ghana’s biggest awards show hasn’t understood the concept of producing for a wider audience on TV, then when will it be a good time to get better?
While the award presentations were much better this year, transitions between segments were poor on many occasions affecting some of the performances. Again, if you were in the auditorium, you wouldn’t have noticed the challenges being pointed out, so it’s best to stay back before you argue.
Awards should be produced for the majority of the audience at home as much as they are being produced for those in the auditorium. In 2026, artistes chasing global attention shouldn’t be caught miming and performing with the antics of an SHS funfair artiste. Creative and sound direction for performances should be top notch. Shots performances should be shot from the right angles giving viewers enough eyes to appreciate the storytelling that is being out the performances. Anything below that should not be entertained. Perhaps it’s not the artistes because we have seen these artistes give us better performances on other stages.
Our lateness kink is becoming a bit too much. The ceremony drags on too long and where some performers are placed in the running order does not even help. If an artiste is coming on stage to perform as late as 2am, we expect more than just a snooze fest.
It worth noting that, as artistes, it is disrespectful to your fans that you show no commitment to the TGMA until the last day of the event. The non-chalant act does not help your case especially when we hear how you often moan about being robbed when you end up not winning any award(s) on the night. Yes, the TGMA has its issues, but it is still ours. We can’t call for a better awards scheme with such attitudes. Charter House themselves also have a lot to do in making the event much better.
I could go on and on about the various lows about the event but if you followed the show, I am sure you can add to the list.
Leading up to the event itself, conversations of who deserved to win what kept shifting each week depending who was having the argument. Ultimately, one the leading conversation was that, if someone has shown more intent, then they deserve to win. While intent is a good move, it does not guarantee winning. Intent without lobbying and securing votes is cos 90. Like many artists who approached the awards with intent, it is the intention of this writer to be by the beach with a baddie, but rather, I am writing this review in my bed in Lakeside in the early mornings of Sunday, 10th May.
Settling for just intent is not enough to win you awards, especially the ultimate ones on the nights. As such, anyone looking forward to winning any awards at the TGMA must learn to play the game as it’s played beyond showing interest through social media antics, press coms or acting uninterested only to now make a push on the last day of voting.
As a viewer I disagree with some winners on the night, but that is a conversation for another day but before you coming asking, ‘Did you vote?’ Well, I did, but I guess my vote was not enough to sway the results. If not for anything, I can take solace in the fact that my votes counted in some categories, including album of the year, most popular song and the ultimate AOTY.
At the end of the day, Blacko’s win is not a spite on MDK’s push for the ultimate. At the end of the day, Medikal fought a good fight, but like any fight, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose some. While he may have lost the ultimate, he will go home with some awards under his belt, including two of the big four awards on the awards.
To Black Sherif, this is perhaps another stop on his way to winning the artiste of the decade award when it’s ready to be won sometime in the not-so-distant future.
By Nana Kojo Mula