One would call it the debut edition, whilst some would simply think it is a resurgence event in the Northern Region of Ghana. The couple of months leading to this event that would be the first of its kinds, for me personally had been entangled in a lot of controversy among the music and entertainment stakeholders in the region, ranging from questions about the credibility of the organising body to the nomination processes that would be involved. I supposed by now, most of you, the readers may have come to terms with the event i am writing about, yes, the very same one, the Northern Music Awards Festival (simply called the NMA).
The social media, local radio stations and the some national television had seen this award as one the most trending events in the region, invariably diverting away attentions from the recent chieftaincy feud and gruesome manslaughter in some parts of the region that had made some skeptics from other parts of the country, repeatedly ask the five-star question – would anything good ever come from the that region? Well, yes after last night, it suffices to say that if most people, especially the youth could put aside all kinds of differences and put their heads together as was evident at the award night, the answer to that reverberating question would simply be ” ye it can”.
Dozens of hours leading to this nights, it gradually became a known reality to me that i would be attending this event, as several people i know in Tamale had tagged me in the artwork of this awards night (something, i grievously detest, but this time i was happy they did), hence shaping my resolve not to miss it even though, several other engagements had been on my appointment diary, this certainly gradually seems like the best option for me on the night, with a major intent focused on having a good time, interacting with industry colleagues and sharing with you my thought and reviews of the epic night.
The traditional dance troupe from the Tamale youth home sets the ball rolling at NMA 2015.
So for the low-downs, grab a sit, probably get a box of pop-corn and relax for what i i would call the “real” unprecedented event in recent time, with regards to music and entertainment in the region. I would have love to make my review based on the templates and ideas of most award nights i have seen, attended or heard of , but that would simply be “prejudicial” and somewhat unfair to Tamale, since Tamale people does not do anything like people from other cities of the country and beyond. However, i would also not like to betray the informal standards that had been adopted over the years, to characterize an award night. I would be taking a look at the highlights, the shadows and the mid-tones ( yes, am going to be a bit graphical) of the different segments of the night, promising to be as independent a source as, let’s say Anas Aromeyaw Anas. Oh, probably time to go get myself a pack of candy, wafers, and other edibles i bought in the hall of the award night. Man, those hawkers nearly blighted my sight with their wares, that i couldn’t help but buy quite a load of them, just to have a different view, one which i must share with you.
Red Carpet
A no-do-without in any awards night and one of the few similarities NMA had with other awards nights, was the red carpet. The red carpet had without any form of disappointment with relation to time, kicked-off late and hence it’s invariable late ending.
The hosts of this segment, my good friend, Murphy and his co-host (forgive me honey, i couldn’t get your name, my bad!) did marvellously well, setting the example on what is expected on the red carpet, Murphy’s dark coloured blazer, over a white shirt on a khaki chinos, a bow-tie, and one of the best corporate cover shoes i have seen lately, gave him out as the striking hot and dashing gentleman of the evening, the “mystery co-host” did not disappoint as well, matching Murphy’s bloke status with her equally “divalicious” dress ( hun, don’t hesitate to let me know where you got that, my date for that night, would not let me be…). Both comperes on the red carpet, the magnificent cinematography, with majorly gorgeous men and women that graced the red carpet, are unarguably , a set of the highlights of the night, sans poor time management of course.
Time Management.
Oh boy, i just heard a little voice say, “dude don’t even go there”! Well i would, just because it is too important to ignore, and the fact that poor time management had settled home with most of us in Ghana is no excuse.
I knew that we are in for a late start of the awards night, when none of the invitations i was tagged in on social media indicated any particular starting time, hence appearing somewhat inconnu. I would later learn that the awards itself were suppose to commence at 8:00GMT. Lo and behold, like many events in Tamale and Ghana for that matter, the GMT, was certainly converted to Ghana maybe Time (GMT), our own version of it, as the first award didn’t see the stage until 22:50h (real GMT), just twenty minutes after the official commencement of the night by the hosts.
In as much as i am trying hard not compare NMA to any other awards i have seen, i must indicate that awards nights are suppose to be non-the-less, concise, time managed, both of these were conspicuously absent on the night of NMA. Too many performing artistes were on the bill on the night, most of them totally did the entire tracks in their albums. Awards presenters and receivers never paid attention to time, most of them spoke lengthy, way too unnecessary speeches that cumulatively dragged the night to the wee-hours of the morning. The hosts just did not help matters, sometimes staying up on stage way too long than necessary before bring up the next act or award presenters.
All these could have been avoided and have people sent home on time after such a polarized opinion of good night, had there been a program manager (PM), whom the host, especially DJ Carlos are answerable to. So this would definitely go to the shadows of the night, as the event didn’t end until 4:00Am, about seven hours, the longest awards night i have seen.
Hosts Of The Night
The 2015 Northern music Festival had four hosts, two gentlemen and two ladies. I had filled you in earlier on the red carpet hosts, whom would later introduce to us the delectable Josephine and Dj Carlos in their beautiful lady and gent’s apparels.
Enter Dj Carlos…the amiable entertainer and radio host was introduced to the audience by Murphy, after the “mystery gorgeousness” had introduced Josephine of Diamond FM’s Drive time show.
Carlos, committed quite an offence in my opinion for taking approximately seven minutes to acknowledge (not so sure he did) his co-host, who was standing aloof, as he danced away to impress the audience in his blazer , bow-tie, and black pants. The co-host idea was a bad one to start with, not on an award night, especially one with a domineering male co-host like Dj Carlos, and indecisive choice of language for the night as some people, including Josephine and my humble self felt lost, with all Carlos said on the night. Totally our fault, this is the Northern region and everybody must speak and understand dagbani, right?
It does not help that Josephine’s Microphone was set at half the decibel as that of Carlos, making her mostly a passenger on the stage. In general, other the hosts did well, there is always going to be room for improvement, given that this is the debut edition of such event here. However, i would like to single out Murphy for encomium, for his master class, behind-the-scenes profile narration of the award recipient, i could have easily sworn, he had had a ride with that in his other life, mucho gracias bro!
Award Presenters And Recipients
Iddi Nash of Zaa Radio had presented the first award of the night, the best music producer, deservedly won by the skillful Tizzle, i am glad to have known this dude from, well let’s say apprentice days. Staying true to the course and best practices and standards, the Zaa Radio’s Monday Night celebrity show’s host, was efficient to say the least, presenting Tizzle the award in what would be the minimum time used for this purpose, as subsequent presenters had sought diverse means to prolong the night with their unnecessary long speeches. How i wish they had taken cues from Mr. Nash, i suppose there was a purpose, why the organisers had let him taste the waters first.
Some of the recipient s, like Tizzle were quick and out of our faces before we could say “Jack”, whilst some of them chose to start a sermon, especially those whom did not forget to give their victory speeches, like Fancy Gaddam did, and was called back to the “honours” after he had received his best video award and gone back to his seat. Apparently, the award presenter thought he is the only one, bequeathed with the oratory right at that moment. Different recipients were elated and had shown their excitement in different ways, some came up with family and friends as it is usually the case elsewhere, whilst some, well, didn’t have much friends or family. The photo section with some award winners, rather took too long, i would not forget the time Sister Z had won the award for the best highlife in NMA, the award presenter, whom was speaking in dagbani for way too long or her family and friends, who nearly started another photo shoot segment. In all, this would definitely go to the mid-tones of the night, as we hope for the better in subsequent NMA.
Performing Arts
I have already stated that there were too many of them, but that would be against the backgrounds of a normal award nights, right? But this is Northern Music Awards Festival, yes a music festival that comes with people getting awarded. So we in Tamale or the North are different and we do our things totally nuanced from the “band wagon”. That would simply explain the gory sight of people walking up the stage from all corners of the hall to wait for it….spray money on performing acts, so epic and only Tamale and sometime i can’t make up mind on being prod of it or not.
Since there were just too many performers than i came prepared for, my memory could only keep tabs with the iconic ones, and wish the rest never happened. So i would highlight top moments and if i do remember any of those down-lows, i would definitely give them a mention.
I would try as much as possible to keep in my bias heart in check as i lead you in on this, because as fan of real stage live music, you know with people actually singing and not miming their own songs, which i could easily do with any artistes song too, would try to cut a lot of people some slacks.
Evidently, there was barely an artiste singing on the night, the dude Mo’kid from Accra, connected with the audience with his singing way more than any other acts, especially when he pulled up the girl with the heavy back-set to twerk them all up on our faces . Even the only superstar of the night, Sherifat Gunu, was singing on the playback of her recorded voice, one would have thought that at this stage of her career, giving her style of music, traditional, she would have evolved into performing always with a live band, or sing over an instrumentals to say the least of expectation. She might need to take a cue from Wiyyala, another sister, from the north who is only the ascending path, due to her resolve to go beyond playback performance.
Nonetheless, Sherifat’s dancers were breath- taking, what she had lacked in singing on the night, she and her dancers had made it all up with such energetic and entertaining dance.
The dance, in fact for me was the highest point of the night, with most of the performing acts pulling off great, skilful, theatrical and energetic dancing rhythms to make up for their inability to sing anything on the night. One of the artistes was seen checking if his microphone was on, whilst his recorded voice was blasting away, if you would have to lip sync, at least hide it well enough from the spectators, dude.
The group Deensi, Ataaka, the who had two female dancers, with one of them practically humping the floor, in her draperies, man, that was hot and totally unprecedented, giving us value for our money. Because i could not bear any longer the waiting game to see my favourite performer in the region, Fancy Gaddam, it was 3:10hr and just about four major award had been giving out, and your humble boy just have to bail, i heard he did not disappoint me with his performance. I would like to point out though, my best performer of the night, Lady Z, it was my first time hearing that name, and she came on stage with these gorgeously dress male and skilful dancers, making attempts to sing, but mostly falling in line rhythmically with her dancers, creating lots of buzz in the audience, bowing out graciously on a high point. And as you can see, i have no time to give a mention to a lot of those under-performers, those who could neither sing nor dance. Rounding up this segment in the mi-tones of the awards night.
Summary
The Northern Music Awards Festival 2015, might have been nuanced, but it was definitely welcomed by the city of Tamale, as was evident by the massive turn out. As always had been the case with events in the northern regional capital, more spectators were angling and nibbling away on their mobile phones or gingerly chatting with friends outside of the venue, where there was a heavy presence security details, mostly from the military units, to make sure the event went on peacefully.
Patrons at the road leading to Radach Conference centre, during the awards night.
Sounds and cinematography provided by FTM films were better at the notorious Radach Memorial Hall, than it was a couple of weeks ago, when our band, Spectacular crew, played a gig there, kudos to Dj 2K, the sound engineers for doing their best to reduce the echoes in the hall. The stage lightings and sets were impressive, decoration was ok, multimedia could be improved, but we know that already, don’t we? Exactly like every other aspect of the night.
Depending on which side of the cloth one is cut from, the NMA, the very debut edition of it, has come to stay, whether it was a success, that i would leave to the organisers to decide, but i know for sure, it was fun for most patrons. Kudos to the organisers, the Northern Vision Entertainment, and what was it with all those honorary awards, just way too many, i thought some should have been reserved for next edition.
LIST OF WINNERS
1-Artist of the year_fancy
2-best song of the year- Fancy takahi .
3-Music video of the year -Ashili-fancy Gadam.
4 Best collaboration of the year- dabba ft fancy zamzam kom.
5-Traditional song of the year -Tora by dabba
6-Hip hop artist of the year -Ataaka-
7.Best rapper- Ataaka
8-New artist- double boy kenzy
9-Highlife artist of the year sis Z
10-best group- Deensi.
11-best sound engineer – tizzle
By Chris Anieze
NORTHSIDE SHOWBIZ GHANA 