Winning a Grammy: ‘Headache’ of Ghanaian musicians

Similar to Amerado, the winner of the Ghana Music Awards' Best Lyrical Performer, which is regarded as Ghana's most esteemed awards program, a lot of Ghanaian singers might be secretly harboring similar beliefs.

And why not, given that they have been the target of online mockery and public humiliation for failing to win or receive a nomination for a Grammy since the event's founding more than 60 years ago?

The plight of Ghanaian musicians was made worse on Sunday, February 4, when millions of people worldwide watched the Grammy Awards and millions of music lovers lost out on Ghana's chance to grab the attention of millions of viewers on the platform.

The Grammy Awards have been widely acknowledged as the biggest event in the world for many years, and they are sometimes seen as a testament to an artist's global significance.

It's interesting to note that despite receiving numerous nominations throughout the years, well-known performers like Backstreet Boys, Jimi Hendrix, Nicki Minaj, Sia, Bob Marley, and Snoop Dog have never experienced the joy of a Grammy victory.

However, that shouldn't be a justification for certain Ghanaian performers, like Amerado, to downplay their lack of a Grammy nomination and possibly diminish its significance for their businesses.

Expectations were high in Ghana for the first time when the Grammy nominees for the 2024 edition were announced, as artists like Stonebwoy and gospel singer MOGMusic publicly expressed their wish to be recognized with a Grammy For your consideration (FYC).

Unfortunately, Ghana did not win, and not even Rocky Dawuni—who has been referred to as Ghana's "savior"—was nominated this year after garnering nominations in 2015, 2021, and 2022.

Once more, the fact that Ghana was not selected for the Grammy Awards sparked pertinent discussions and led some of our performers to minimize the value that such a significant and internationally renowned award program brings to their companies.

Ghanaian artists should recognize the significance of the Grammy Awards and strive to make audacious comments on this enormous stage.

Without a doubt, Ghanaians everywhere would have been pleased to watch Sarkodie, Black Sherif, Stonebwoy, KiDi, King Promise, Efya, Shatta Wale, and other notable Ghanaians during Sunday's Grammy Awards.

Besides, Nigeria had Burna Boy, Davido, Ayra Starr and Asake as nominees so why can’t it be Ghana also. However, such feats are not achieved by mere words but hard work, right network and meeting the requirements.

The time is now

For the first time, African music received recognition at the recently held Grammys with its own category–Best African Music Performance. Harvey Mason Jr, CEO of Recording Academy, told BBC that he was excited at the inclusion of the Best African Music Performance category.

The decision to include an Africa-specific award came about because music from the continent is now "prevalent everywhere in the world".

Is Ghanaian music a component of the African music that is heard all over the world?

Grammys have been won by African musicians in the past. The first was Miriam Makeba of South Africa, who won the 1966 Best Folk Recording award for her work with Harry Belafonte.

There have been a few more, such as Burna Boy from Nigeria, who took home the Best Global Music Album prize in 2021.

Ghana cannot afford to take a backseat now that the CEO of the Recording Academy has acknowledged the importance of African music in the global music industry. Winning a Grammy is important.

Relevance of winning a Grammy

When it comes to the leverage the Grammys offers, Billboard Magazine calls it, the ‘Grammy Bump’ while Forbes Magazine calls it the ‘Grammy Bounce’.

In a 2012 article in Forbes, ‘The Grammy Bounce: How Much Is an Award Really Worth?’ Senior Editor, Zack O'Malley Greenburg, provided an overview on some of the benefits of winning the award.

According to him, a sampling of performers and producers shows a ‘Grammy Bounce’ of at least 55 percent in concert ticket sales and producer fees during the year following a Grammy win.

The financial benefits of the award can be tremendous for big touring acts as well, according to concert data provider Pollstar.

 In the year after grabbing Grammy No. 1, crooner Bruno Mars' average nightly gross swelled from $130,000 to $202,000 (+55 percent); multi-instrumentalist Esperanza Spalding swung from $20,000 to $32,000 (+60 percent); and pop-country superstar Taylor Swift surged from $125,000 to $600,000 (+380 percent).

Conclusion

Rocky Dawuni, a musician from Ghana who has received three nominations, claims it's not a difficult effort because there are standards and regulations that all musicians must abide by worldwide.

One of the main regulations states that albums and songs must be released and distributed commercially in the United States.

With musicians like Stonebwoy and Black Sherif signed to major international labels, Ghana's timing couldn't be better.

To be honest, Ghanaian musicians have all it takes to win a Grammy—strong sound, industry knowledge, and a platform to showcase our music.

To showcase our crafts, we need the appropriate branding, packaging, connections, and platforms. The Ghanaian has a great chance of taking home the Grammy. Is it a headache instead? No, let's do it now.