On Saturday (May 7), the 2022 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards proved to be a celebration of Ghanaian excellence for the 23rd consecutive year.
The star-studded event began with a high fashion Red Carpet at the Grand Arena, where fan-favourite stars gathered for a night of history.
The rap executioner, Obrafour and Tinny were the first to hit the stage and open the show. Their performance was nostalgic and electrifying.
The wow factor though was the fact that the legendary rappers were not billed as performers on the night; it was a surprise to see these two legendary rappers. This is the first time ever, that the duo performed their hit song ‘Oye Ohene’ remix together on any stage.
Lyrical Joe was the recipient of the coveted Best Rap Performance Award. He is one of the youngest to have received it, he is only the second person to have received that award at the first nomination in 2010.
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Agya Koo Nimo, the honoree of the night, was bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his decades-long career in music and entertainment — from releasing hits to teaching and helping preserve the highlife genre and legacy. He is 92, his grandson received the Award and delivered a heartwarming message on his behalf.
Niella, Amaarae, Kwaisey Pee, Black Sherif, S3fa, Bosom P-Yung won their first VGMA accolades as Akwaboah picked his first non-technical category Award.
The ultimate crown was carried by Lynx Entertainment, Empire Music and Made In East New York joint signee KiDi. He picked a whopping 5 awards on the back of his world hit – Touch it.
Here is a recap of some of the most show-stopping moments of the #VGMA23.
Joe Mettle and Niiella’s breathtaking performance on stage
Gospel singers, Joe Mettle and Niiella showed pure class and mastery over live performance. Their vocal dexterity and agility were exceptional as was their synergy. Without knowing better anyone would believe the duo was a group.
Their performance was in no doubt the most outstanding vocal performance on the night. The duo performed ‘Ye Obua Me’ a song from Joe Mettle’s The Experience Album. It was such a delight watching the duo perform.
Their vocals to costume, stagecraft, and attitude were one for the gods.
The Stonebwoy comeback
Stonebwoy returned to the VGMA stage after a two-year absence. In 2019, Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale were banned indefinitely from the VGMA following a brawl at the 20th Anniversary of the Scheme which disrupted the ceremony and threatened the safety of patrons.
Eventually, the ban was lifted and he is back for good.
He cemented his relevance and place in the Scheme over the years with a stunning re-enactment of his “Le Gba Gbe” video.
He had such presence and control on the stage, he was simply amazing. In his performance, there was suspense, class and excellence. It felt as though the stage was set for the Reggae/Dancehall star.
He topped his show up with significant wins, Stonebwoy scooped three Awards – Music For Good, the Vodafone Green Award and the Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year.
Black Sherif’s red case travel to the #VGMA23 stage
‘Kwaku the Traveller’ crooner, Black Sherif gave the fans another splendid performance; he emerged from a box, walked on stage with a suitcase and left in ‘Pragya’ (a tricycle). Blacko is almost always in the trends on Twitter for his lyrics, topping charts and now he will be for pulling a stunning performance.
Camidoh’s ‘sugarcane’ remix performance with Mayorkun and King Promise
Ghanaian Afrobeats/Afropop singer, Camidoh was expected to perform as he had been advertised for the bill, what we did not know was which song(s) he was going to perform. He gave a Live Rendition of his latest “Sugarcane Remix” and introduced the featured acts on the song.
King Promise and Mayorkun were about the biggest surprise for patrons of the night. As if that was not enough Tik Tok stars were paraded on stage to perform the dance associated with the hit song. Mayorkun also performed his hit single ‘Holy Father’.
A KiDi elaborate performance
Hands down, the most outstanding performance on the night was that of KiDi. I dare say it is his best performance on any Ghanaian stage yet and is likely to go down as one of the best in his career.
He set off with a Neo-Soul/R&B vibe, spinning on stage with a background of sensually dancing silhouette ladies. He switched to a carnival and fireworks mode while delivering some of his biggest hits in the last year with a mini elegant show of carnival costumes interspaced with masquerades.p
Twitter – Blue Zone
This year saw the creation of a special zone for Twitter on the back of a partnership with the scheme. The zone was set up to the top of taste and was a major highlight of the Red Carpet, in fact, it stole the shine of the Red Carpet and saw celebrities walkthrough for chitchat made available on the 2nd largest and loudest social media platform.