Ghanaian dancehall artiste Stonebwoy is hopeful about winning the highly coveted Artiste of the Year award at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA). Stonebwoy, whose real name is Livingstone Etse Satekla, has won the Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year award six consecutive times and has been nominated for Artiste of the Year four times but has yet to win the award.
In an interview with 3Extra, Stonebwoy expressed his optimism about winning the Artiste of the Year award this year. “Let me be very honest without disrespecting anybody, I have won Artiste of the Year for Reggae/Dancehall six consecutive times. I have been nominated for Artiste of the Year four times, and all things being equal, I should have won it four times,” Stonebwoy said.
Stonebwoy has been nominated in several categories, including Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year, Afrobeat/Afropop Artiste of the Year, and the coveted Artiste of the Year award. He has collaborated with several international artists, including Grammy-nominated artiste Jahmiel and American musician Alicia Keys.
The VGMA is the biggest music awards show in Ghana and attracts artists from various genres. In 2019, Stonebwoy was tipped to win Artiste of the Year but was disqualified after an altercation with arch-rival, Shatta Wale that led him to pull out a gun, disrupting the show’s 20th Anniversary celebration and leaving fans in panic.
Despite the disappointment, Stonebwoy remains positive about clinching the awards at the grand finale today. “I am speaking as Balotelli/Ballon D’or behaviour. 2015,16,17,18,19 came back 21. I have won it back to back in the Reggae/Dancehall category and I deserve to finally win the ultimate award,” Stonebwoy said.
Stonebwoy’s music has gained popularity not only in Ghana but also across Africa and beyond.