Organizers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) have introduced new categories to its awards scheme.

This, according to a statement issued on Tuesday April 6, forms part of efforts to make the scheme more responsive to the industry.

NEW CATEGORIES

Best Afrobeats / Afropop Artiste Created to celebrate the artistry of the Afropop / Afrobeats musicians.

The definition reads:

The Best Afrobeats / Afropop Artiste is the Artiste(s) adjudged by the Academy, Board and the General Public as having with the highest audience appeal and popularity in the Afrobeats / Afropop Genre.

They must have released a hit single/EP/album during the year under review.

EP of the Year

Created to recognize and celebrate the performance of the EPs. The definition reads:

The EP of the Year is adjudged by the Academy and Board as the most outstanding compilation (either by the number of hit songs and or the quality of production) of an EP that was released during the year under review. It must have generated excitement during the year.

BEST GOSPEL SONG

Formerly Gospel Song of the Year, this category is the song adjudged by the Academy, Board and the General Public as the most popular Gospel Song released in the year under review. The song must have generated the most excitement during the year.

However, for the year 2021, the VGMA Board thought this category should accommodate songs from the Urban Gospel community. This is to allow nurture the creation of a full-blown standalone category for the Urban Gospel community.

VODAFONE MOST POPULAR SONG OF THE YEAR

The Vodafone Most Popular Song of the Year is the song adjudged by the Academy, Board and General Public as the most popular song released in the year under review. The song must have enjoyed a lot of patronage and generated the most excitement during the year.

In this category, it’s been the norm to select only one popular song from an Artiste, even if the Artiste should have multiple hit songs. This year however, the VGMA Board agreed to allow the category to feature all hit songs, irrespective of whether they are from same artiste or not.