Two songs released in late 2024 have secured nominations in the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMAs) 2026, even though this edition of the awards primarily considers songs released in 2025 under review.

The nomination of these songs has since raised questions among netizens, who are demanding answers.

However, Robert Klah, Head of Public Events and Communications at Charterhouse Productions Limited, the organisers of the awards, has clarified the situation during the nominees announcement held on March 14, 2026.

According to him, the awards scheme has introduced a “swing period”, a new policy designed to ensure fairness for songs released late in the year that may not immediately gain widespread attention.

Robert Klah explained that songs released close to the end of a year often do not have enough time to build momentum before the awards evaluation period closes.

Here's the full list of nominees for the 2026 Telecel Ghana Music Awards

As a result, such songs may miss out on nominations despite becoming popular shortly afterward.

“Last year, we discussed something called a swing period. And a swing period means that songs which are released close to the end of the year, that may not necessarily have a lot of traction and may not necessarily have a lot of mileage, will have the opportunity to be considered in the following year when the time is up, if the songs play their part within the space,” he explained.

Under the “swing period” policy, songs that are released late in a given year but do not immediately gather enough traction can be carried forward into the next awards cycle.

This allows the organisers to properly assess the song’s performance over time, including airplay, popularity, cultural impact, and audience reception.

Robert Klah disclosed that the board of the Telecel Ghana Music Awards officially approved the introduction of this swing period for the 2026 edition.

As a result, some songs that were released late in 2024 were allowed to compete after demonstrating strong traction throughout 2025.

He specifically mentioned “Excellent” by Kojo Blak and “Messiah” by Sarkodie as two songs that have benefited from the policy.

“And so we have done that for this particular year. The board met, and that particular swing period has been done or has been put in place. And so because of that, you would realise that there are some categories or some songs which immediately have benefited from that particular swing period,” he said.

He further explained that although both songs were released toward the end of 2024, their real impact was felt throughout 2025, which falls within the awards’ review period.

“So they were released just close to the end of the last two years. And because of that, we consider them based on the traction that they gained throughout the year last year and then they were good fits to be in there,” he noted.

The introduction of the swing period is expected to become a permanent feature of the awards scheme.

According to Robert, the move ensures that artistes who release music late in the year are not disadvantaged because their songs did not have enough time to build visibility before the awards deadline.

“So going forward, this has become something new and it’s going to stay in the scheme. And for as long as it’s running, we are hoping that artists who release their songs close to the end of the year would be able to benefit from it,” he added.

.@robertklah explains why some songs released in 2024 made it into the #27thTGMA nominations.#JoyDigital | #GhanaMonthOnHitzFm | #27thTGMA pic.twitter.com/CucTn4H4Z0

— Hitz 103.9 FM (@Hitz1039FM) March 14, 2026