Every year, artistes do their best to release new music for fans. Some of these songs go on to become the biggest and most popular songs in the year under review.
This year is no different: 2022 has seen musicians put their best foot forward to entertain fans. In no particular order, these are 10 local songs that kept Ghanaians singing.
Sugarcane/Sugarcane Remix – Camidoh
At some point, everyone in Ghana has heard ‘Sugarcane’. Even if they may not know the title, once it starts playing they can sing it.
Sugarcane was released in November 2021, but it wasn’t until early this year that it blew up on TikTok.
Its popularity spun a remix with King Promise and Mayorkun.
Touch It – KiDi
Since its release in 2021, Touch It has consistently stayed on the airwaves and made its presence known in many countries across the borders of Ghana.
The song was so huge, in June 2022, KiDi revealed it went platinum in India. This has earned him a huge fan base in the South Asian country. He has released a new track, Shut Up, featuring one of Bollywood’s huge stars.
Down Flat – Kelvyn Boy
Kelvyn Boy’s return to the airwaves in 2022 was a fun surprise to fans. Down Flat was initially released in January 2022, but it wasn’t until months later that it went viral on TikTok.
Kwaku The Traveller – Black Sherif
Black Sherif stunned Ghanaians with his performance at the 2022 3Music Awards. It was the first time he performed his song Kwaku The Traveller which at the time was yet to hit streaming platforms.
The song became a hit even before its release, perhaps because of the emotional ‘rainy’ performance. The song also did wonders for Black Sherif’s career internationally.
Second Sermon Remix
Before Kwaku The Traveller there was Second Sermon Remix with global Afrobeat superstar Burna Boy.
The song was released in December 2021 but remained popular in 2022, especially after the official video’s release.
Friday Night – Lasmid
Lasmid’s 2022 was off to a great start after the release of Friday Night. The song became a got to and still is for many music lovers.
Shatta Wale’s ‘On God’
Shatta Wale’s year has been somewhat quieter than usual. However, that did not stop him from dropping an earworm for the people while they await the GOG album.
Obiaa – Akwaboah
The year 2022 gave music fans one of the best pairings in the music industry in Akwaboah and Cina Soul.
The song is off Akwaboah’s Lighthouse EP released in December 2021. But it was not until 2022 that this Cina Soul collaboration swept fans off their feet.
Something – Gyakie
Singer/songwriter Gyakie continues to make an impact in the music industry with her works.
This track, in particular, is one of her releases that has held her in 2022.
Waye Me Yie – Piesie Esther
This is a song Piesie Esther released to celebrate her 20 years in the music business – a song glorifying the Almighty for all he has helped her achieve.
Ameno Amapiano Remix – Nektunez and Goya Menor
Producer Nektunez went all out for this Amapiano single it did not only go on to become 2021 biggest December jam but also for the first half of 2022.
Ameno’s music video later dropped and in March it also debut on the Billboard US Afrobeats Chart at number 7.
Non-Living Thing – Sarkodie and Oxlade
When Sarkodie released ‘No Pressure’ album in 2021, this song was not one of the lead singles nor the biggest hit at the time.
But as fans kept exploring the track, Non Living Thing became one of the jams of 2022. This increased the demand for a music video to which Sarkodie obliged.
Choplife – King Promise and Patoranking
King Promise’s singles always impress and Choplife is no different. It is a single off the musician’s second album ‘5 Star’.
Heat – Wendy Shay
Need I say more? Heat is a song released in 2021 – and it was a hit too. But as Ghana’s economic woes kept compounding, one of the songs the public turned to express their displeasure was Heat.
Balance – D Jay
This song is the Ghanaian Afrobeats star’s break-out single. The song went viral on TikTok. D Jay landed a remix later with Mr Eazi.
Therapy – Stonebwoy
This is Stonebwoy’s first single under his new label Def Jam (a subsidiary of Universal Music Group) and like anything Stonebwoy drops, Therapy has gone to become a fan favourite.
Eboso – R2Bees
R2Bees dropped this single off their album Back 2 Basics in 2021. But it continues to dominate the airwaves and party venues, probably because of not only the highlife touch but also the sample.
The duo sampled Ofori Amponsah’s song ‘Asew’ a popular hit in the early 2000s. It brought nostalgia to the song that seems to have fans enthralled.
Celebrate – Kwesi Arthur and Teni
Kwesi Arthur has landed another mention with Celebrate. This feature with Nigerian singer Teni has stayed a fan favourite in 2022.
Mon Bebe – KiDi
‘E Choke’ – S3fa and Mr Drew
S3fa won her first Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) with this song. It despite being released in 2021, ‘E Choke’ has remained popular with music lovers.https://www.youtube.com/embed/8f1hRd5S6ho
Gboza – DopeNation
This may have come later in 2022 but DopeNation as always have fans dancing to their jams.
This Amapiano-inspired tune went viral on social media and has since continued to rule party joints and the airwaves.
Honourable mention
Kadosh – Joe Mettle, Fameye’s ‘Praise’, Amerado’s Abotre ft Black Sherif, Mr Drew ‘Shuperu’ and ‘Dayanna’, Wendy Shay ‘Survivor’, King Promise ‘Ginger’, Epixode ‘Atiaa’ ft Kwabena Kwabena and Sarkodie ‘Labadi’.