Who Wins Artiste Of The Year Award

COURTESY MOBILE communications giant, MTN, the winner of this year’s Ghana Music Award (GMA) Artiste of the Year, the ultimate award, would take home a whopping GH¢3,000 alongside GH¢1,000 worth of MTN credits as well as a trophy and an MTN hamper. Nominees for this enviable prize are six groovy and reigning musicians, selected from five different music genres namely Highlife, Hiplife, Pop music, Reggae and Gospel. They include Ofori Amponsah, the ‘abodam’ crooner Kwaw Kese, Becca, Shasha Marley, Ohemaa Mercy and Rev. Lenny Akpadie, in that respect. Kwaw Kese, Ofori, and Becca are already neck-to-neck with six nominations apiece including that of the Artiste of the Year, with Ohemaa Mercy and Cee of Mentor fame getting eight nominations apiece. They have both been nominated for the Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Gospel Song of the Year, Gospel Artiste of the Year, Gospel Album of the Year, Best Collaboration and Female Vocal Performance. Ohemaa Mercy is however in contention for the Artiste of the Year award, while Cee got nominated in the Discovery of the Year category. Shasha and Rev. Lenny who are among the six gunning for the ultimate award secured five and four nominations respectively. Whoever of the six musicians mentioned above is adjudged by the GMA’s Selection Committee, Planning Committee and the general public as the artiste whose work exerted the most impact on the music scene in the year 2007 would walk home with the GH¢3,000 cash. Like the citation of the awards indicated, these stars have released albums with songs that achieved prominence and commanded a great deal of popularity and audience appeal during the year under review. Kwaw Kese released ‘Abodam 2007’ in the year in contention just as Becca’s ‘Sugar’ and Ofori Aponsah’s ‘Odwo’ with Samini. So did Shasha Marley thrill the country with his ‘Lost and Found.’ Ohemaa and Rev. Lenny Akpadie also wowed the gospel industry with the albums ‘Edin Jesus’ and ‘Most High God”, in that order. Which of these artistes would be given the nod by the public and the committees for the GH¢3,000 award at stake? This has been the question lingering on the minds of most music enthusiasts across the country.