Entertainment
Afrobeats gets a place on America Music Awards
The American Music Awards (AMAs) has introduced a category dedicated to recognising Afrobeats.
The new category is called ‘Favourite Afrobeats Artist’.
It is the first award in a major US award show dedicated to recognising African artistes that have transcended the African borders with the now globally recognised genre.
Fans of Afrobeats artistes can vote for their favourite stars who have been nominated. Unfortunately, for the category’s debut, no Ghanaian act was nominated.
The nominees for the 2022 AMA ‘Favourite Afrobeats Artist’ are; Burna Boy, CKay, Fireboy DML, Tems, and Wizkid.
Tems has another nomination in the ‘Collaboration of the Year’ category for her collab on Wait For U with Future and Drake.
Meanwhile, Afrobeats is not the only music genre to have a spot in the AMAs.
The K-Pop genre also landed a category. The category is named ‘Favourite K-Pop Artist’. Fans of K-Pop also now have the chance to vote for their favourite artiste or group.
The K-Pop artists nominated are Blackpink, BTS, Seventeen, Tomorrow X Together and Twice.
BTS is also nominated in the ‘Favourite Pop Duo or Group category.’
This comes weeks after calls for The Recording Academy, organisers of Grammy, to add Afribeats as a category to the awards scheme.
In September, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Recording Academy said there is a possibility the event will in the near future have a category for Afrobeats.
Speaking to the media on his arrival in Ghana, Harvey Mason Jr, noted that The Recording Academy recently had a meeting with leaders of the Afrobeats community including producers, songwriters, executives and others to learn more about the genre – and will continue to do so.
“We just talked about what are the different sub-genres (of Afrobeats), the needs, the desires, and my goal is to represent all genres of music including Afrobeats at the Grammys, but it has to be done properly,” Mr Mason said.
Meanwhile, in March 2022, Billboard created the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart – a standard record chart ranking the 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the United States weekly.
Source: www.myjoyonline.com
The Rev. I.K. Asuamah Thompson Memorial Methodist Church on Saturday hosted the second edition of the annual ‘Aseda’ musical concert, a vibrant celebration of gratitude led by the church’s Singing Band.
This year’s service also featured invited groups across the Methodist Church, whose harmonious performances added depth and colour to the worship experience.
Participating groups included the Bread of Life Singing Band, Mount Zion, Resurrection Methodist Band, Gethsemane, and St Mary’s Singing Band, among others. Their blended harmonies, rich choral interludes, and stirring renditions created an atmosphere of spirit-filled praise and collective thanksgiving.
The event brought together church members, choirs, and invited guests in a spirited celebration that blended music, scripture, and reflection, thereby reaffirming the church’s commitment to worship and communal thanksgiving.
Speaking at the celebration, the Head Pastor, Very Rev. Mrs Naana Esi Dannyame, said this year’s event focused on the theme ‘Fruit of the Lips’, drawn from Hebrews, 1 Thessalonians, and Psalm 103.
She explained that the event was designed to help the congregation deliberately reflect on God’s goodness. According to her, thanksgiving is not measured in material gifts but in the sincerity of one’s worship. “We gather to recount God’s goodness, His protection, forgiveness, mercy and preservation of life. Scripture calls us not to forget His benefits,” she said.
Very Rev. Dannyame commended the singing band and invited choir groups for leading the congregation in heartfelt worship, noting that the focus of the occasion was Christ, “who loved us and gave Himself for us.”
The President of the Christ Little Band of the church, Mr Emmanuel Addo, urged Christians to embrace gratitude as a core value in their daily walk with God.
He said the overarching theme, ‘Full of Values’, underscored the power and purpose of deliberate praise.
Mr Addo emphasised that believers were called to offer God a continual “sacrifice of praise” through Jesus Christ, describing worship as a living testimony of gratitude and devotion.
He also encouraged the congregation to let every melody and lyric magnify God and inspire unity, joy, and hope.
By Eugene Ampiaw
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UNICEF Ghana has partnered with the award-winning artist, Kuame Eugene, to release a new child-rights anthem titled “Let them shine.”
The song is aimed at commemorating World Children’s Day, which was marked on Thursday, November 20, and reinforced child rights advocacy.
The song’s release is particularly timely, coming at a critical period when children’s rights are increasingly under threat globally, making its message both urgent and essential.
The launch of “Let them shine” marks the 36th anniversary of Ghana’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Ghana is the first country in the world to ratify the convention, reaffirming the nation’s unwavering commitment to protecting every child.
Beyond the World Children’s Day celebration, “Let them shine” is designed to be a long-term advocacy tool. With Kuami Eugene’s strong influence and large youth following, the song aims to empower young people to understand and demand their rights, inspiring children and adolescents to become advocates for themselves, their peers, and their communities.
Osama Makawi, UNICEF Representative in Ghana, said: “It represents a strategic avenue to elevate child rights conversations across different platforms. Through music, a universal language, we can reach more people and mobilise communities to stand up for children.”
Kuami Eugene also shared his commitment to supporting children through his art, saying, “Lending my voice to World Children’s Day through music means a lot to me because every child in Ghana deserves the right to be felt, seen, heard, and valued.”
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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