GHANA'S biggest night in music is almost here and for the 27th time, the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA) is set to separate the great from the greatest.

The ceremony holds on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at the Grand Arena Ghana at the Accra International Conference Centre, Accra Ghana, a venue confirmed by organisers Charterhouse, after weeks of public anxiety over the event's location. 

For this year’s edition, six names are sitting at the very top of the conversation. They are Black Sherif, Medikal, Stonebwoy, Sarkodie, Diana Hamilton and Wendy Shay. All six are nominated for the most coveted prize of the night — Artiste of the Year, and each of them has a case to make. 

The TGMA Artiste of the Year is awarded to the artiste with the highest audience appeal, popularity and industry impact during the year under review. The key criteria are a hit single, EP or album; a high volume of nominations; active engagement in live performances; strong media presence; and measurable streaming numbers. 

Interestingly, the public debate this year has been quieter than usual. In previous years, camps of supporters would have flooded timelines and radio waves with arguments for their favourites. This time around, conversations have been more measured

Here is a closer look at the six contenders and what they bring to the table.

 Black Sherif

IF the numbers alone were to decide Artiste of the Year, Black Sherif would already be holding the trophy.

The Konongo-born singer and rapper born Mohammed Ismail Sherif  had arguably the most dominant individual year any Ghanaian artiste has posted on the international streaming charts in recent memory. His album Iron Boy, released in 2025, was the engine that drove everything.

Black Sherif has enjoyed a record-breaking year across major platforms. He has about 2.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, where Iron Boy debuted at Number 6 on the UK Top Debut Albums chart. He is Ghana’s most-streamed artiste for the third straight year, with nine of the top 10 songs. On Apple Music, he held all top 12 song spots, with Iron Boy staying Number 1 for 21 weeks and Sacrifice topping the year. The album hit Number 10 on Billboard World Albums. He crossed 100 million Boomplay streams, has 1.11 billion Audiomack plays, 3.01 million listeners and 5.83 million followers.

 Medikal

Samuel Adu Frimpong  also known as Medikal is not standing here by accident or sentiment. He is here because 2025 was a genuinely strong year for him.

His viral single Shoulder featuring Shatta Wale and Beeztrap KOTM, dominated local conversations. On Audiomack, he recorded over 112 million plays, with monthly listeners between 599,000 and 741,000. His songs, Too Bad and Fully Active hit 1.67 million and 837,000 plays respectively. He has about 272,000 Spotify monthly listeners. 

Medikal also hosted his sold-out Planning and Plotting concert and this year, secured eight TGMA nominations, including Artiste of the Year and Album/EP of the Year.

 Stonebwoy

Livingstone Etse Satekla, the man the world knows as Stonebwoy  has been a perennial fixture in this conversation for over a decade, and 2025 gave him every reason to be here again.

Stonebwoy’s 2025 run is powered by The Torcher EP, a nine-track project released in September 2025 and largely produced by MOG Beatz. The EP, led by the January 4 single Torcher, blends Dancehall, Reggae, Afrobeats and Rap and features Beeztrap KOTM and Yaw Tog on Susuka, plus Agbeshie and Keeny Ice on Xosetor.

The 10-time winner of the Ghana Music Awards Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year headlined the BHIM Festival at Accra Sports Stadium in December 2025 and performed at the AFCON 2025 Fan Zone finale in Rabat, Morocco. 

At TGMA27, he earned eight nominations, including Artiste of the Year and Album/EP of the Year.

 Sarkodie

NO conversation about Ghanaian music is complete without mentioning Michael Owusu Addo aka Sarkodie and this one is no different.

Sarkodie makes a strong return to the TGMA Artiste of the Year race after missing the category at the 26th edition in 2025, his first omission in over a decade. 

The Tema-born Rap icon bounced back with six nominations at TGMA 27, placing him among the top contenders. He also won Best African Lyricist/Rapper and Best Hip-Hop at AFRIMA 2025. 

He stayed active with major shows, including his flagship Rapperholic concert, one of Ghana’s most anticipated annual events. While his streaming numbers trail Black Sherif this cycle, his legacy and influence remain a major force in the race.

 Diana Hamilton

DIANA Hamilton is no stranger to this stage. The gospel musician made history in 2021 when she became the only female and second gospel artiste ever to win TGMA Artiste of the Year, doing so on the strength of her massive hit Adom.

Her nomination this year is equally earned. She is the only gospel musician in the 2026 Artiste of the Year category and she is in it because of a genuinely impactful year.

Her most impactful release during the review period was Aha Ye, released on November 14, 2025, under Diana Hamilton Music. The song brought together Ghanaian gospel legend Elder Mireku and South African worship powerhouse Ntokozo Mbambo for a collaboration that quickly became a talking point in gospel music circles across Africa. 

She has also performed at major events through her Experience Concert series, which she holds in both Accra and Kumasi.

Entertainment pundit Arnold Asamoah Baidoo has been among the industry voices arguing that Diana Hamilton's year was strong enough to merit not just a nomination but a genuine chance at the crown.

 Wendy Shay

Wendy Shay has enjoyed one of her most commercially successful years for the year under review.

Born Wendy Asiamah Addo, she entered the music industry in 2018 under RuffTown Records. 

Her third studio album Ready, released on October 24, 2025, is what powered her into this Artiste of the Year conversation with serious force. 

The album amassed over 50 million streams across streaming platforms and debuted at Number 1 on Afro Sounds on Audiomack, while trending simultaneously on Apple Music. Early Audiomack numbers alone showed over 10.5 million streams within weeks of release. 

Her hit singles Too Late featuring Benjine, Phina, and Guchi and Crazy Love featuring OliveTheBoy dominated airwaves, earning her nominations in the Best Collaboration and Afrobeats Song of the Year categories too.

Her live performance story, however, may be the single most attention-grabbing element of her 2025 campaign. The Shay Concert on November 22, 2025, held at West Hills Mall in Weija, saw thousands of patrons. The concert had on its bill Shatta Wale, Medikal, KiDi, Kelvyn Boy, OliveTheBoy, Lasmid and others.

She also performed at Rapperholic, Shatta Fest at Independence Square, GMB 2025 Grand Finale, and at Medikal's Planning and Plotting concert.

On the international stage, she won Best Female Artiste in West Africa at the 9th All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) held in Lagos in January 2026 — beating continental heavyweights including Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr, Moliy and Amaarae. For a Ghanaian female artiste operating as an independent act, that is a genuinely historic achievement.

Her seven TGMA 27 nominations include Artiste of the Year, Album of the Year (Ready), Most Popular Song, Best Collaboration, Best Afrobeats Song (Crazy Love) and International Collaboration (Too Late).