VGMA 2022: Fameye, Kinaata’s exclusion from Artiste of the Year category explained

VGMA board unveils nominees for 23rd edition

Artiste of the Year category limited to six spots

The Head of Communications at Charterhouse, organisers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, has said while he acknowledges the work Fameye and Kofi Kinaata did within the year under review, the Artiste of the Year category was very competitive, stressing that there are only six spots.

While hinting at a reduction to five in subsequent years, Robert Klah indicated that the nominees for the Artiste of the Year are the top six for the year under review after careful consideration.

“It’s a basket of names you’ll have with different reasons, arguments to support why they deserve to be in the top six”, Mr Klah said on Hitz FM. “After all the deliberations, debate and the back and forth, only six were selected to make the cut. Unfortunately, those other names couldn’t make it. Not that they didn’t work; they worked. What it means is that the space is very competitive.”

The VGMA board on Saturday, March 19, 2022, unveiled the list of nominees for the 23rd edition of the scheme at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre with six musicians earning spots in the Artiste of the Year category.

Reigning Artiste of the Year, Kuami Eugene battles it out with rapper Sarkodie, Lynx Entertainment’s KiDi, gospel musician Joe Mettle, afrobeat artiste King Promise, and ‘Second Sermon’ singer Black Sherif.

Although Fameye had five nominations, some persons, including broadcaster Abeiku Santana, have argued that it is not enough. The argument has been that Fameye performed remarkably well within the year under review, hence, should have been nominated for the Artiste of the Year award.

Broadcaster, Nana Aba Anamoah, also expressed utmost shock in a tweet following Kofi Kinaata’s exclusion from the topmost category.

“Ah wait oo. Kinaata was not nominated for Artiste of the Year?” her tweeted read.

What’s the category definition for Artiste of the Year?

According to the board, “The Artiste of the Year is the Artiste(s) adjudged by the Academy, Board and the General Public as the artiste(s) with the highest audience appeal and popularity in the year under review. The artiste(s) must have released a hit single/album/EP and must be one of the artistes with the highest nominations in the year under review.”