The organizers of the Ghana Music Awards France have announced a shortlist of its nominees for the maiden edition set to take place on July 23, 2022, in Toulouse, France.
The nominations feature some tough competition in the 27 categories, including Artiste of the Year, which has the likes of Sarkodie, KiDi, Kuami Eugene, Diana Hamilton, Kofi Kinaata, Fameye, and Black Sherif.
This year’s awards ceremony, themed “Portraying Ghana Through Music”, seeks to expose Ghanaian music to an international audience, especially those in France.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra, Madam Annie Sophie Ave, French Ambassador to Ghana, said Ghanaian artists deserved the maximum support because of the talent they possessed.
“When I arrived in Ghana, I realized the amazing talents Ghana had, coupled with the catchy hit songs, and I thought we had to take it to France because the French people found Ghanaian songs amazing.
“Your artists are your best ambassadors and I think they deserve to be put out there. I have been following a few of them who are having a blast in Europe and it was for this major reason that I needed to support them, especially with the organization of such events,” she said.
Mr. Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, popularly known as Abeiku Santana, Chairman of the Ghana Music Awards France, lauded the French Ambassador for her tremendous support for the arts industry, suggesting that she deserved a statue for her contribution to Ghanaian music.
“Artiste recognition is one of the forces driving music globally, and I believe Ghana Music Awards France as a project will contribute highly to the existing bilateral relationship between Ghana and France, and will also deepen our prospects with regard to our tourism products with music at the forefront.
“Music tourism is a huge contributor to our music dispensation and with the rise of globalization, the tourism and the travel industry have also seen expansion, and I can confidently say music is the driving force,” Abeiku Santana said.
The astute broadcaster urged corporate Ghana, the government, and other stakeholders to come on board and support the vision of taking Ghanaian music internationally because it had the talent to reach the pinnacle of world music.
Madam Mavis Osah Frimpong, Founder of Ghana Music Awards France, stated that the idea of holding an awards gala in France began 15 years ago as she sought to contribute her quota to the growth of Ghanaian music.