Robert Klah
Head of Public Events & Communications, Charterhouse Ghana, Robert Klah, has revealed that over 13 artistes qualified for consideration in this year’s Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA) Artiste of the Year category, but only six were shortlisted for nomination.
According to him, these artistes who were under consideration for the ultimate Artiste of the Year category met the minimum requirement for the category definition, which includes but not limited to hit song, album, audience appeal, and popularity among others.
“But after the board had the artistes who met the minimum requirements, it becomes competitive, so if you are looking for let say six, then other things begin to count to slash the number.
“Then we begin to weight them, like what works have you done. When this begins, we get the reduced number, you realise some will be in, some may not be in, not that they don’t qualify, but because there is supposed to be a cut off point, that is why,” he disclosed.
Robert Klah further added that, “sometimes we have a tie, so you can have like seven nomination in that category.”
Answering the controversial topic on why Gospel Minister Piesie Esther did not make it to the Artiste of the Year category, Robert Klah clearly stated that, “anybody who did not make it to the final list did not meet the criteria needed to be part of the top six.”
He further stated that after the minimum criteria, the board take into consideration other elements for evaluation, saying, “with the shows that the artistes stage, they are in forms; whether it’s a paid show or free. All this things are part of the evaluation to consider. Because when we talk about audience appeal, if you organise a paid for show, that means you have a stronger appeal than the free shows.”
The six nominees for the Artiste of the Year are Black Sherif, Medikal, Stonebwoy, Wendy Shay, Sarkodie and Diana Hamilton. These artistes, according to the board, have shown exceptional talent and creativity in their respective genres, making the competition fierce.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke