2023 VGMA Review: The wins, performances, red carpet slayers and the lows

Let me drop some tea!

I graced this year's Vodafone Ghana Music Awards which made headlines and dominated social media conversations ahead of the big day. We witnessed music lovers campaigning for their favourite in the 'Artiste of the Year' category.

The eight nominees were Black Sherif, Piesie Esther, Joe Mettle, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Camidoh, King Promise and KiDi.

Black Sherif beat them all to emerge as the ultimate winner on Saturday, May 6, 2023. To many, they saw it coming. The 21-year-rapper truly deserved this title!

Preparing for the Big Day!

Let's cut to the chase and move to the main gist. Getting ready for the main awards which came off at the Grand Arena on Saturday, May 6, was top of my list. I got in contact with one of Ghana's young stylists, Kwabena Kevin to put together that perfect look, one suitable for a red-carpet host.

We understood the assignment and that is on period! It took over 10 hours to hand bead over 500 pearls unto my gown. I did it like it was my last.

Red carpet diaries

Our team arrived earlier to capture all the fun moments. Let me give it up to attendees for turning up at the venue on time. The first nominee I interacted with on the red carpet was gospel singer, Ewua Abena. She was among the early birds.

Special congratulations to Charterhouse for the beautiful and spacious setup on the red carpet. There was enough room to interview our stars. Also, the picture-worthy backdrops brought life to the venue.

Then came the best and worst dress of the night. Let's give it up to Ghanaian personalities who put effort into their style, they know that we deserve better. The looks I saw this year were impressive, just a few disappointments but as we love to say, it is the effort that matters.

Our camera's caught up with Black Sherif, Piesie Esther, Amerado, Lyrical Joe, Osebo, Adu Safowah, Daughters of Glorious Jesus, EL, you named them. We had some of the best interviews that made it to social media trends. Visit GhanaWeb TV on YouTube if you missed the fun.


Did you feel this year's artiste performances?

Fast forward to the performances, Piesie Esther opened this year's show with a first-time performance of her all-star rendition of 'Waye Me Yie'.

Then came a surprise from the 2022 Artiste of the Year, KiDi. Judging from the reception, Ghanaians were happy to see him in full force.

Let me admit that some musicians had a hard time with the live band. Some off-keys and technical issues, Medikal was a victim. All in all, the fans can say that they had value for their money.

My best performance award goes to King Promise, Black Sherif, Sarkodie, Gyakie, Kwabena Kwabena, Epixode and Unsung Artiste winner, DSL.

I will agree that the crowd was a little bit boring but who do you blame?

VGMA hosts and their audience

This year's VGMA was hosted by Berla Mundi, James Gardiner and Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku. They did their best execpt capturing the attention of their audience. The emcees lost it at some point. The reviews on social media said it all.

In my view, a comedian could have been the best co-host to compliment Berla Mundi's fine performance. Over the years, Berla has lived up to expectations when it comes to hosting the awards. Her wardrobe is forever a 10 over 10.

Talk of style, these personalities gave us the best- Anita Akuffo, Daughter of Glorious Jesus, Osebo, Nana Kwame Bediako, Lyrical Joe, Piesie Esther, Sika Osei, Wesley Kesse, Sarkodie, Tagoe Sister, EL, Nkonkonsa, Naa Ashorkor, James Gardiner, who did I miss?

How can I forget, the show did not start on time. This is no news as it has been a ritual for all major events in Ghana. I will save this conversation for another day.

1-Artiste, 1-Award

Each year, organizers of the VGMA are called out for handing awards to artistes who they claim are not deserving. I felt the disappointment on people's faces when Black Sherif lost out on the 'Album of the Year' title.

I must say that the awards were well distributed, for lack of a better word. It comes across like everyone got 'compensated' especially artistes who have always felt sidelined and lost hope of ever winning.

To many, King Promise who won two awards finally got his flowers from Charterhouse. He gave his all under the year in review. His performance was emotional. You should check out his song 'Terminator' it has a special message.

Ofori Amponsah took the stage to perform. His energy was low but you will agree with me that he is one of our best musicians but live performance may not be his forte. It was an honour watching Ofori, he managed to get the crowd on their feet.


All hail the Artiste of the Year!

Let me wrap up with the highlight of the 2023 VGMA. Mark Okraku Mantey, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts took forever to announce the 'Artiste of the Year' winner. The suspense was over the roof, goodness!

When Black Sherif's name was mentioned, the whole place lit up, cheers, tears, applause, hugs, and the 'I told you so' made me emotional. It brought tears to my eyes, what a night!

After the show, I knew I had to get an interview from the man of the moment. It wasn't even up for a debate and so I defied all odds, beat the massive crowd, chased him through the back stage, his escape route to secure my lifetime interview.

As Blacko told me, "It was never the streets against the church. It was us against us." Drops mic...