By Daniel Bampoe
In a stunning twist at the 26th Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA), held at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre on Saturday, May 10, 2025, some of Ghana’s most celebrated music icons—including Sarkodie, Black Sherif, and Kwesi Arthur—walked away empty-handed, despite multiple high-profile nominations.
The glitzy awards night, which is considered the country’s premier musical honours ceremony, saw a dramatic shift in fortunes as newer faces and dark horses dominated the winners’ list.
This year’s edition of the TGMA was marked by a dazzling display of performances, fashion, and celebration, but the absence of awards for several fan-favourite artistes raised eyebrows.
Sarkodie, one of Ghana’s most decorated rappers and a two-time Artiste of the Year, had five nominations, including Best Rap Performance and Best Hiplife/HipHop Artiste, but failed to win in any category.
This marked one of the rare instances in his illustrious career where he left the TGMA stage without a plaque.
Black Sherif, widely tipped to be a frontrunner for Artiste of the Year following a string of hit releases and international performances, also went home without a single award.
He had earned nominations across major categories such as Artiste of the Year, Telecel Most Popular Song, Best HipHop Song, and Best Afropop Song of the Year.
His complete shutout was among the most talked-about moments of the night.
Kwesi Arthur, once considered a staple at the TGMAs for his influence on the rap and Afrobeats scenes, had just one nomination this year—and failed to convert it into a win.
Other notable artistes who also left without awards included Medikal, Kuami Eugene, Mr Drew, Eno Barony, Lyrical Joe, Samini, Okyeame Kwame, Lasmid, and Amerado.
Many of these acts had only one nomination, underscoring the highly competitive nature of this year’s edition.
In a major turn of events, the night belonged to King Promise, who took home four awards, including his first-ever Artiste of the Year trophy—solidifying his evolution from a consistent hitmaker to a dominant force in Ghanaian music.
His wins were met with wide acclaim, particularly given past years where he was nominated but overlooked.
Stonebwoy continued his reign in the Reggae/Dancehall category, securing his tenth award in that field.
He also picked up two additional awards, bringing his total haul for the night to three.
Kweku Smoke was another surprise multi-award winner, taking home Best Rap Performance, Best HipHop Song, and Best Hiplife/HipHop Artiste—marking a breakthrough moment in his career.
King Paluta’s gospel-leaning anthem Aseda was crowned the Telecel Most Popular Song of the Year, a category widely regarded as a reflection of the nation’s most impactful track over the year.
Other notable winners included KIDI, Joe Mettle, Ayisi, Kofi Kinaata (who won his fifth Songwriter of the Year award), Beeztrap KOTM, OliveTheBoy, and Fameye. Gospel legend Yaw Sarpong was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating decades of contribution to Ghana’s spiritual music landscape.
While the night celebrated the fresh wave of talent and recognized consistent performers, it also marked a moment of reckoning for some of Ghana’s biggest names.
