Gospel songs win GMA overall song and album of the year

Accra, April 26, GNA - For the first time in the history of the MTN Ghana Music Awards (GMA), a gospel song was on Saturday adjudged the over all song of the year for 2007.

Pastor Lenny Akpadzie's popular song "Most high God", which topped the music chats for a record 13 consecutive weeks, won both song of the year and gospel song of the year, and Ohemaa Mercy's "Eden Jesus" also won overall album of the year.

But it was Kwaw Kese, who emerged the proud winner of the ultimate award, Artiste of year 2007.

Pastor Akpadzie himself was also nominated in the Artiste of the Year, Gospel Artiste of the Year, Album of the Year and Gospel Album of the year categories but he won none of those.

Kwaw Kese, the ultimate award winner, whose popularity, anchored on his famous slogan "Abodam"- (madness in Fante parlance) also won three other awards - hiplife artiste of the year and his popular hiplife album with the title track "Na Ya Tal" was adjudged hiplife album of the year and the title track also won hiplife song of the year.

As part of his awards he took home a sum of 6,000 Ghana cedis cash, comprising 3,000 Ghana cedis for winning the ultimate, plus extra 1,000 Ghana cedis each for each of the three other awards.

Curtsy Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN), title sponsors of the GMA, each of the 21 awards came with at least a 1,000 Ghana cedis cash price, which was also a first in the history of the MTN GMA. Ohemaa Mercy also won two other awards - Gospel Artiste of the Year and Gospel Album of the Year, but she was not present to receive her awards in person so by the rules of the game she forfeited her 3,000 Ghana cedis cash prices but could keep the plaques.

Mentor Two's Cynthia Appiah Kubi, popular known as Cee, whose famous song "Nyame Asem", on which she collaborated with Isaac the Show Boy and Isaiah Ampong won the best collaboration of the year, but she suffered the same fate as Ohemaa Mercy because she was not present to receive her award in person.

According to the organizers both songstresses wanted to be present to receive their awards but their managers asked them not to.

Ofori Amponsah's "Odwo", on which he featured MTN music icon, Samini, won the highlife song of the year and highlife artiste of the year while Adane Best's album with the title track "Sumo Onyema" was adjudged the Highlife Album of the Year.

Discovery of the year was male duo five-five, whose song "African Ladies" also won the Pop song of the year, whiles Becca's album "Sugar" with the famous song "you lied to me" emerged the Record of the Year. Shasha Marley's controversial reggae song "the Matta family" was reggae song of the year whilst he emerged male vocal performance of the year beating three other nominees.

Female Vocal performance of the year went to Irene and Jane of Stars of the Future one fame, whiles the Nigerian male twin group, P Squared took away the "African Artistes of the year", a special award that recognizes continental musicians whose music have cross their borders of their country and is doing well on the continent as a whole. The big losers were Daddy Lumba, Tinny, Moses OK, Daasebre Dwamena, Grace Ashie, K. K. Fosu, Kontihene and a few others, who were nominated in several categories but did not win any awards.

Besides the award, there were loads of electrifying performances from some of Ghana's finest as well as from winner of the African Artistes of the year, P Squared and the one who calls himself the Hip-hop heavy weight champion of the world and king of New York, Jarule from the United States of America.

Jarule practically sent the National Theatre on fire when he appeared at the premises, but it was more fire when he mounted the stage to render abridged versions of some of his popular hip-hop songs. The crowd was up standing, dancing, singing and ecstatic throughout his 10 minutes' performance.

Jarule was also presented with a special award for his contribution to the world of music and for making time within his busy schedules to come to the GMA. So was Keesha White a UK-based internationally acclaimed singer also presented with a certificate of recognition. He is billed to perform at the MTN GMA beach party on Sunday April 27 at the La pleasure beach, alongside some of Ghana's finest.

But it was the ultimate award winner, Kwaw Kese who set the ball rolling with his stylistic entry on the stage as the first act for the night. Dressed in black suite with bow tie and spotting his usually Arabic style head scarf, he sent the crowd going wild when the curtains went up, revealing him on stage in the dark, waiting to perform.

Performances by Samini, who was also co-MC with Doreen Andoh of Joy FM fame, also sent the crowd berserk. The hiplife duo, 4x4, five-five and a collaboration of Becca, Chemphe, Irene and Jane were also spices for the night and P Squared crowned it all with the hit song, "Do me". In a brief message, Ms. Mawuena Dumor, Corporate Service Executive of MTN noted that MTN sought to be technologically savvy and also socially sensitive, saying in that regard, the company cherished its relationship with the communities in which it operated.

"We see music as one of the strong points of Ghana's culture and so in sponsoring the GMA we seek to strengthen our relationship with the Ghanaian public on the cultural front as well," she said. Mr. George Andah, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN said beyond providing the best telecom service to its customers, MTN also sought to build relationship with its publics through sports and music, which were the two most effective melting points for all shades of opinion in society.

"By doing so, we believe we are contributing to uniting communities and the nation as a whole for development," he said. Mr. Steven Asamoah-Boateng, Minister for Information and National Orientation charged Jarule and Keesha White to take up the responsibility of helping to promote Ghanaian and African music on the international stage.