Who is the TGMA Artiste of the Year, King or 1Gad?

When the 25th Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA) Artiste of the Year is held on Saturday, June 1 at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), DANCEHALL musician Stonebwoy and Terminator hitmaker, King Promise, are predicted to win.

The announcement that “And the winner of Telecel Artiste of the Year is…” may not have been particularly exciting for many people in the auditorium that evening, but it will undoubtedly be the most awaited for the two artists and their supporters.

Six artists—Stonebwoy, King Promise, Nacee, Sarkodie, Black Sherif, and Kuami Eugene—are vying for the top honor at the Charterhouse-sponsored Telecel awards program this year.

The Artiste of the Year competition has always been a straight fight between two artists, despite the fact that there are many nominations competing in the category, as has been the case for years.

Stonebwoy and King Promise’s “rivalry”

With 15 nominations, Stonebwoy, better known as 1Gad, has the most in the TGMA this year, and his performance in the year under consideration supports him.

One of Stonebwoy’s greatest moments from the year in question was working with Angelique Kidjo on the song Manodzi. Additionally, he gave concerts all around the world; past Christmas, one of the largest was held in the Accra Sports Stadium.

Furthermore, his song “Into The Future” gained significant traction and secured prominent positions on many streaming platforms.

For his part, King Promise’s song “Terminator” went viral in Ghana and worldwide, garnering 41 million views on YouTube and inspiring a TikTok challenge that went viral as well.

Along with Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage and Jamaican rapper Sean Paul, he also remixed Terminator, creating another incredible song. (See also The King’s coronation moment is upon us?)

Favorite musicians

It is not intended to diminish the contributions of the other nominees in the category by singling out Stonebwoy and King Promise as favorites.

One notable instance of this type of case occurred in 2020, during a dispute between Kofi Kinaata and Kuami Eugene about who should win Artiste of the Year. When gospel singer Diana Hamilton defeated KiDi in 2021—who seemed like a better competitor—things remained the same.

Black Sherif, the current Artiste of the Year, faced up against gospel singer Piesie Esther in another head-to-head match last year. Their “campaign managers” constantly brag about their individual accomplishments on social media, which sparks an intriguing rivalry.

The gospel music community made a strong case for its artists in 2021 and 2018, as many had anticipated. However, it seems that this year’s “energy battery” ran low, effectively eliminating gospel act Nacee, who may have had one of the biggest songs of the year under review, from the race. The Table of Men, an all-male organization of gospel music executives whose goal is to project the actions of gospel musicians and their music, has been directly held accountable.

However, as the group’s PRO, Kwame OB Nartey, put it, “We all joined Piesie’s ride.” We refrained from dragging her.  She was ecstatic about it and exuded joy for the honour. Therefore, all we needed to do was plug in and scale it up.

There is no way that his assertion is not accurate. Diana Hamilton and Piesie Esther were in the public eye in 2021 and 2023, because of the enthusiasm from each of their camps. Nevertheless, the interesting thing about this year’s Artiste of the Year competition is that all four finalists—aside from Nacee and King Promise—have held the award.

Kuami Eugene won in 2020; Black Sherif is the current champion; Sarkodie won twice in 2010 and 2012; Stonebwoy won in 2015. There is a tangible sense of excitement and growing expectancy. There is no doubt that the winner will be a performer who, in the previous year, has had a major influence on the music business.

Will the King wear his crown on Saturday, or will the Gad take it home? Are there going to be any surprises? Who is the reigning Artiste of the Year? “Pay attention”