Geve Me Hope has to win VGMA awards

By Forgive Adjoa Forfoe

 Monday, 22 February 2016 15:36 

Although his name does not ring a bell to music lovers in Ghana, upcoming reggae artiste, Crashhall, believes his songs deserve awards at this year’s Vodafone Ghana Music Awards(VGMA), if the selection system of the award scheme was credible and fair.

Crashhall

Crashhall who released his debut album, Geve Me 

Hope, a year ago has submitted songs from it in six categories- Best Male Vocal, Best Rapper of the Year, Record of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Music Video of the Year and Best Collaboration of the Year and strongly believes he stands a great chance of winning.

‘‘If the system is really devoid of corruption and money paying in exchange for awards to undeserving artistes, then I have to win the areas I filed nominations for.  I’m not in to compete anyone, I’m here to win, ’’ he said.

Crashhall, who recently released videos of the album, via online, believes he has what it takes to win these awards in the categories as his songs are unique and reflect what is going on in society.

“I’m convinced my songs are better than some of that of  our high profile artistes because my songs are full of wisdom so I must win these awards.

Moreover, I bring on board originality; my words and my style of singing make me different and unique from all the others as they reflect social, economic and political issues ’’, he stated.

Geve Me Hope is made up of three tracks, Yeeka, Geve Me Hope and The Lord Is My Shepherd.

- See more at: http://www.graphic.com.gh/entertainment/showbiz-news/58833-geve-me-hope-has-to-win-vgma-awards.html#sthash.N3mWj5La.dpuf

Bass Clinic festival today

By Forgive Adjoa Forfoe

 Saturday, 13 February 2016 11:34

Today, the Tesano Baptist Church will play host to the sixth edition of the annual Bass Clinic Music Festival.

This year, the festival dubbed Bass Clinic VI – The Ultra Edition will feature some of Ghana’s and Africa’s best bands and instrumentalists such as Patch Bay Band, PL Crew, Fusion, Victor Dey, Affreh Junior, Mark AMoo, Jay ZYmera and many more.

Joe Mettle

Also performing at the event is the award-winning GLO ambassador, bass player and producer from Nigeria, Mallam T Bass.

The resource persons to take patrons through the festival  include outspoken law expert and practician, Ace Ankomah, musicians Joe Mettle, Cwesi Oteng, Reuel Kofi Dartey (Canada),  David “Kaywa” Kyei and music director Mr Isaac Aryee.

Activities for the festival include a workshop, split session (where musicians meet resource persons for a one-on-one session) and a jam session where selected bands perform.

The organisers, Bass Phactory Music Consultancy, have promised lots of pleasant surprises for patrons.

Bass Clinic is a music workshop which brings professional and aspiring musicians from all over Ghana and beyond together.

Its principal aim is to unearth and train talents and also entertain participants.

This year’s package includes a workshop, split session (where musicians meet resource persons for  one-on-one sessions) and a jam session.

Sonnie Badu in concert

By  Forgive Adjoa Forfoe

Friday, 08 January 2016 23:17 

International Ghanaian gospel musician, Sonnie Badu will be live in concert on Sunday, January 10 at the Trinity Baptist Church, Oasis House,  Madina, Accra.

Sonnie Badu

Dubbed An Evening  With Sonnie Badu, the 4pm programme promises to be exciting as the Baba and Wonder God hitmaker, known for his energetic performances is expected to be in his usual elements, treating gospel music lovers to worship and praise songs.

Other artistes who will join Sonnie to give patrons a time of their life are  OJ of Apor Jesu fame, John Sena ,  Manford and B Brown .

An Evening  With Sonnie Badu  is being organised by the Trinity Baptist Church under the auspices of its Singles and Youth Ministry (SaYa).

 The youth administrator of the church, Richard Adjartey,  told Daily Graphic on Friday, December 8, the programme, organised every January after the five-Day Worshippers’ Conference headlined by Sonnie Badu, is to create awareness of God among the youth and to herald the year well.

 ‘’ Admission is free and the programme aims at drawing younger folks to God, making them realise that worship must be an everyday lifestyle. So, we the SaYa thought, how about starting 2016 in worship with Minister Sonnie Badu, the worship minister of our mother church in London?”

 Sonnie Badu is a multiple award winning gospel singer, songwriter, producer, TV presenter and author of nine best-sellers and owns a clothing line, ‘The Worshipper's Garment’.

He is also a philanthropist who loves children and owns an orphanage, Thy Dwelling Place and a day-care, Dizney.

  He has to his credit five albums, Lost in his Glory (2007), Ignite My Fire, When Worshippers Gather (Collaboration Album), Colours of Africa (2012), Africa Worships Series. Some of his hitsongs are Wonder God, Amazing God, Son of David, Adonai and Okokoroko.

Sonnie has also received awards and they include  Best Gospel Artist, 2009 Black Entertainment Fashion and Film Award (BEEFTA),  Best Worship Song of the year, Best Artist in Europe and Best Worship Artist of the year, Gospel Music Awards (Italy).

- See more at: http://www.graphic.com.gh/entertainment/events/55969-sonnie-badu-in-concert.html#sthash.jW3pN4HJ.dpuf

No pressure to prove myself - Kaakie

Award winning dancehall artiste, Kaakie, is very confident in her status as the queen of dancehall music; so much so that she says in spite of new artistes springing up, she doesn’t feel any pressure to do anything differently from what’s she’s been doing.

Kaakie

Since she burst onto the scene about six years ago, Kaakie has delivered hit after hit including Too Much, Toffee Pon Tongue, DC Turn Up and Kumcha, cementing her status as a force to reckon with in dancehall.

She has not been as consistent as before taking a break to focus on her education, and only released two new singles, Give It To Me and Million Dollar Baby last year, which did not make as much impact as expected.

Her absence has seen a lot of new faces breaking into the dancehall genre but Kaakie tells Showbiz in an interview that she is not under pressure to prove herself.

“Dancehall is my style; it’s easy and cool for me. I don’t feel under any pressure or competition. I don’t need to do anything to maintain my followers because I’m always and have always been myself, and yet I have all these followers,’’ she said.

Kaakie also weighed in on the rise of dancehall music and why more people are venturing into the genre now.

“More people now want to do dancehall because they think it is the easiest way to make money. It’s no news that there are more male artistes than female ones.

“I, on my part, naturally do my best in everything I do or I don’t do it at all. So though the genre is easy for me, I give it my best,” she said.

Now a service personnel at the VRA Akosombo Hospital as a registered general nurse, Kaakie, who also holds a BSc Midwifery degree from the University of Ghana, Legon says it is not easy combining both her nursing and music careers.

“I don’t even know how I do it myself. I just take it a step at a time I guess. It’s not easy though, but it’s worth it,’’ she concluded.

Real name Grace Kaakie Awo Ocansey, Kaakie has won a number of awards including Best New Artiste at Ghana Music Awards 2013, Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year at Ghana Music Awards 2013 and Best Female Vocalist at the BASS Awards 2013.

No pressure to prove myself - Kaakie

Kumasi to host tiGO Unplugged concert

 By Forgive Adjoa Forfoe
Friday, 13th November, 2015

The city of Kumasi is usually not known to host big music concerts in the country but the story will definitely be a different one when all roads lead to the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Saturday, November 28, for this year’s tiGO Unplugged concert.

And to make it a memorable event, the organisers have lined up some of the finest artistes of Ghana and beyond. The stadium will certainly be the hub of great music performances.

Stonebwoy

Among the artistes to shake the place are Nigerian dancehall and reggae artiste, Patoranking. He made waves with his Girlie O song which undoubtedly won him many admirers.

His new song, My Woman, My Everything, has been another banger on the Ghanaian music scene and he is expected to thrill his fans in Kumasi and its environs when he mounts the stage at the Baba Yara Sports stadium.

That is not all, the award winning Nigerian artiste will be joined by a league of Ghanaian artistes including the reigning best artiste in Ghana, Stonebwoy, Shatta Wale, VVIP, Kwaw Kesse, EL, Keche and MzVee to entertain patrons to rounds of good performances.

Dubbed, The You For Know edition, the concert will not only give tiGO  customers and Ghanaians in general the opportunity to see and jam to songs from music stars but also, a golden opportunity for patrons to win juicy packages from one of the sponsors, Africa World Airlines (AWA).

Speaking at the media launch in Accra on Thursday, the Director of Marketing for tiGO, Jesse Agyepong, enumerated the many profits the company gained from being a partner of Deezer, the international music streaming service.

“It is our commitment to commercialise music that has given real value and money to the local artistes and the Ghanaian music industry.  tiGO Music won the Most Innovative Product of the Year at the 2015 Ghana Telecom Awards, and that shows how relevant, timely and insight-driven the tiGO Music brand is. We are proud of what we’ve been able to achieve and the tremendous response we received for it,” she stated.

He expressed tiGO’s commitment to help build the music industry because, “ we believe that music delivers a great brand experience. We urge our customers to join us at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium for fun-filled concert, ’’he concluded.

The 2015 tiGO Music Unplugged Concert: The You for Know edition is supported by Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited, Golden Tulip (Kumasi), Africa World Airlines(AWA), TV3,The EIB Group, Ultimate FM (Kumasi), ddp and tiGOmusic.com.gh.