TGMA 2026: Over 13 Artistes Were Considered for Artiste of the Year, Here's Why Only 6 Made the Cut
- Thirteen musicians were initially considered for the Artiste of the Year title at the 2026 Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMAs)
- Charterhouse's Robert Klah explained how they narrowed the nominees down to six based on quality, volume, and audience appeal
- He explained that gospel artiste Piesie Esther's exclusion highlighted the strict criteria for making the final nomination list
More than 13 musicians were in contention for the Artiste of the Year title at this year's Telecel Ghana Music Awards before the list was whittled down to six nominees, a top Charterhouse official has disclosed.
Source: Instagram
Head of Public Events and Communications at Charterhouse Ghana, Robert Klah, disclosed that all 13 artistes initially met the minimum requirements for the category, which include hit songs, album output, audience appeal, and popularity, but a further competitive evaluation reduced the field significantly.
"After the board had the artistes who met the minimum requirements, it becomes competitive, so if you are looking for, say, six, then other things begin to count to slash the number," Klah explained.
He added that the board weighed the volume and quality of each artiste's work during the reduction process, noting that missing the final list does not mean an artiste failed to qualify outright.
The type of shows staged by artistes also factors into the evaluation. Klah said paid concerts are treated as evidence of stronger audience appeal compared to free shows, making them a more significant consideration in the final rankings.
Addressing the controversy surrounding the exclusion of gospel minister Piesie Esther, Klah stated plainly that any artiste absent from the final list did not meet the criteria required to break into the top six.
He also noted that ties occasionally push the nominee count beyond six, with seven nominations possible in such instances.
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The six artistes nominated for Artiste of the Year are Black Sherif, Medikal, Stonebwoy, Wendy Shay, Sarkodie, and Diana Hamilton.
Source: YEN.com.gh
