Tonight’s VGMA Awards, the 19th edition, could produce the first ever female “Artist of the Year”. The act who would be responsible for this momentous feat, should it happen, will be late dancehall singer, Ebony Reigns, whom many expect to come alive tonight.
Other contenders for the topmost laurel include Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy, Sarkodie, and Joe Mettle (all of whom have won the award in previous years.
Put together by Charterhouse Productions, with Vodafone Ghana as headline sponsor, the Ghana Music Awards scheme was instituted in 2000, and saw highlife veteran Charles K Tosu (Daddy Lumba) being crowned Artist of the Year. The list that has followed Lumba for the coveted award has been remarkable and regularly fiercely contested:
- Daddy Lumba (2000)
2. Kojo Antwi (2001)
3. Lord Kenya (2002)
4. Kontihene (2003)
5. V.I.P (2004, 2011)
6. Obour (2005)
8. Samini (2007)
9. Kwaw Kese (2008)
11. Sarkodie (2010, 2012)
12. R2Bees (2013)
13. Shatta Wale (2014)
14. Stonebwoy (2015)
15. EL (2016)
16. Joe Mettle (2017)
