V.I.P Are The New Kings Of Ghana Music.... Daughters Set New Record At GMA 2004

VIP - 2004 certainty their year

With the three topmost awards to go and the score reading- V.I.P: 3, Daughters of Glorious Jesus: 4, almost everyone at last Saturday?s Ghana Music Awards was sure whom the new rulers of Ghana Music were going to be.

Not that everyone at the Accra International Conference Centre were exactly appreciative of the results in its entirety; but at least the trend was evidence enough to make almost everyone form their opinions and to expect that the hip-life trio, Vision In Progress, were well on their way to making the world pay more attention to them.

So the V.I.P won the final (and biggest) two: Song Of The Year (Ahomka Wo Mu) and Artiste Of The Year. Earlier on, they had beaten other genre giants and all time favourites Okomfour Kwadee and Obrafour to it by snatching all the three hip-life slots namely the Hip-life Song Of The Year (Ahomka Wo Mu), Hip-life Album Of The Year (Ahomka Wo Mu) and Hip-life Artiste Of The Year.

At a time, one would think that V.I.P were fed up climbing the stage just about every ten minutes for an award. Their acceptance message became shorter as the honours increased; one was as short as ?We know this awards show is for us and Daughters?. And to clearly stretch the lead over Daughters, V.I.P virtually made it six by winning the Best Music Video Directing (Ahomka Wo Mu) award for the company who produced it, Feelix Dakat.

As if by design, their gospel counterparts, Daughters of Glorious Jesus, also trio, having swept all the gospel slots namely; Gospel Song Of The Year (Brebrebeyi), Gospel Album Of The Year (Aseda) and Gospel Artiste Of the Year, went on to grab the overall Album Of The Year (Aseda) and the Best Female Vocal Performance.

That makes Daughters of Glorious Jesus the Gospel music group with the HIGHEST Ghana Music Awards honours so far, closely followed by Cindy Thompson (four in 2001). V.I.P have also equalled the single most awarded act at a GMA, Kojo Antwi?s six (including video) in 2001.

The show began some 30-minutes later than scheduled with pockets of hitches especially with the sound and microphones. Two brief opening acts came up before the presentation of a few awards such as the gospel and hip-life categories by a large host of celebrities and radio presenters in doubles.

There were other celebrity-presenters such as Joy FM sportscaster Kojo Frimpong pairing with Veep of MUSIGA and gospel act Diana Akiwumi; Joy FM?s Bola Ray came up with Adjoa Aidoo and fashion designer extraordinaire, Kofi Ansah with Queen of the airwaves, Joy FM?s Doreen Andoh.

Perhaps the pair that marvelously stole the show with expensive jokes [one would have mistaken the show for a comedy gig] was Adom FM?s Abeiku Santana and a Nigerian host.

New Artiste of the Year went to ever-deserving Tinny who was accompanied by five escorts. He commanded a very impressive response from the audience, especially when he decided to give his acceptance speech, of course, in very typical rhyming words in the Ga dialect.

Highlife oldie-but-goodie Nana Tuffour won the Contemporary Highlife Song Of The Year (Abeiku). Earlier on Friday at the Musiga Offices, all the three technical awards were presented to the deserving persons. Video directors Kpapko & Rahim of Feelix Dakat received the Music Video Directing award for their creativity in the production of V.I.Ps ?Ahomka Wo Mu? video. Technical Engineer of the Year went to Jay Q and MUSIGA Merit Award to one of the oldest Ghanaian musicians, Akwasi Ampofo Adjei (The Shinning Star).

Talking to a wide section of the audience at GMA 2004, one would be convinced that apart from the V.I.P and Daughters, who, most claim that, won a little more than they deserved, the event was a near-perfect one frought with close to no controversies. By the above assertion, those industry insiders believe that other artistes such as Sandra Oduro and Christaina Love (in the Gospel category) and Obrafour and Okomfour Kwadee (hip-life category) at least deserved a share of the Gospel and hip-life genres respectively.

In December this year, V.I.P will represent Ghana in their capacity as nominees (with their ?Ahomka Wo Mu? Song Of The Year) and also as performers at the Kora All African Music Awards, promised organisers, Charterhouse Productions and confirmed by Mr. Ernest Adjouvi, the expansive boss of Kora All Music Awards. Ghana Music Awards was sponsored by Western Union Money Transfer, Gulder and Spacefon among others.

Below is the list of Ghana Music Awards 2004 winners.

? New Artiste of the Year - Tinny

? Song Of The Year - Ahomka Wo Mu (V.I.P)

? Album Of The Year - Aseda (Daughters of the Glorious Jesus)

? Artiste Of The Year - V.I.P

? Gospel Song Of The Year - Brebrebeyi (Daughters of Glorious Jesus)

? Gospel Album of the Year - Aseda (Daughters of the Glorious Jesus)

? Gospel Artiste Of The Year - Daughters of Glorious Jesus)

? Hip-life Song Of The Year - Ahomka Wo Mu (V.I.P)

? Hip-life Album Of The Year - Ahomka Wo Mu (V.I.P)

? Hip-life Artiste Of The Year - (V.I.P)

? Highlife Song Of The Year - Odo Colour (George Darko)