Rising Ghanaian artiste AratheJay has addressed the controversy surrounding his team's petition to the Telecel Ghana Music Awards board, clarifying that the move was never about changing the nominee list but about seeking transparency for the future of the industry.

The statement comes after AratheJay's management formally petitioned the Board and Academy of the TGMA, requesting clarification over the exclusion of three of the artiste's submissions from the 27th edition nominations, specifically ‘The Odyssey’ from Album/EP of the Year, ‘Put Am on God’ from Best Rap Performance, and ‘Cover Me’ from Best Male Vocal Performance.

AratheJay’s team petitions TGMA board over omission of key nominations

The management highlighted that ‘The Odyssey’ reached the Top 5 on Apple Music Ghana charts shortly after its release in October 2025 and later entered the Top 10 most-streamed albums in Ghana on Spotify for the year, metrics they argue align with the TGMA's own published benchmarks for excellence and impact.

In his personal statement released on social media on March 17, 2026, AratheJay said the petition was not an attempt to stir controversy.

"I've seen a lot of commentary over the past few days, and I think it's only right for me to address some things.

“In the spirit of preserving this award scheme, a request for clarification was made by my team, and I want to state that this is not an attempt to change the current nominee list, but to gain clarity that would guide artists like myself, music consumers, and all stakeholders in the future," he wrote.

The artiste also used the moment to congratulate his fellow nominees and appeal to his fanbase, known as Nyame Adom FC, to refrain from using the situation as ammunition against other artistes.

"As we celebrate our highs and lows, please don't use this as an opportunity to tear down the next artist," he urged.

AratheJay did receive three nominations at this year's awards: Best Music Video for ‘Put Am on God’, Best Reggae/Dancehall Song for ‘Talisman’ featuring Stonebwoy, and Best Hiplife Song as a featured artiste on Ko-Jo Cue's ‘Tontonte.’

Charterhouse is yet to publicly respond to the concerns raised by AratheJay's team.

See the post below:

pic.twitter.com/TW22ZHjd0O

— ARATHEJAY (@arathejay) March 17, 2026