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The nominations for the 24th VGMA were unveiled on Saturday, 18th March and conspicuously missing from the Artiste of the year for the 2nd year since she won the coveted award is, Diana Hamilton. This begs the question “is the VGMA afraid of Diana Hamilton”.
Right after her big win in 2021, conversations became rife in some sections of the industry point to the fact that should she get the nomination in that category again she’s likely to win, judging from the massive support she received in that year. Some unhappy pundits whose predictions didn’t come to pass lashed out heavily at the VGMA in an attempt to bring the integrity of the scheme into disrepute.
And so, I sense that the VGMA may have succumbed to the criticisms of a few people and have thus made a deliberate attempt not to have Diana nominated in the Artiste of the Year category just to please a small section of the industry.
The organizers of the VGMA should not take the support that Diana received in 2021 and 2019 as just a walk in the park. It shows her impact and the work she has committed to building her Ministry, her brand and her fan base. She should be accorded her due and not be made to pay the price just to satisfy a few groups of people.
Here is why I think Diana is the best gospel artiste at the moment and deserved to have been nominated as the artiste of the year at this year’s VGMA.
Events and Audience Appeal
During the year under review, Diana organized three sold-out events. Two in Ghana (at the 7k seater auditorium Perez Dome and the 5k seater auditorium at the Bantama Church of Pentecost).
Mind you, whereas other artistes brought on other foreign acts to influence the attendance of their events, Diana has consistently not included any foreign act on the bill yet the venues are filled to capacity with every event she has organized.
Her cross-appeal saw Awake Purified Drinking water signing her on as their brand ambassador and subsequently going further to be the title sponsor of her concert thus changing the name to the Awake Experience with Diana Hamilton.
On the back of the extreme success at the Accra and Kumasi events, Enterprise life took advantage and assumed title sponsorship of the London event which became the Akwantupa Experience with Diana Hamilton. This was held at the 2,800-seater capacity of the Dominion Centre in London. The auditorium was filled to capacity and according to reliable sources, the Dominion Centre has a bigger seating capacity compared to the O2 Indigo. Tickets, I am reliably informed, were sold out in advance before the date of the event.
For a Ghanaian gospel artiste to amass such numbers in all her events in and outside of Ghana proves that Diana’s cross-appeal in both the local and international music market is unmatched in the gospel music space.
Notably, also, BBC World invited her for an interview in London right after her Akwantupa Experience in the UK. This goes to show Diana’s huge relevance as an artiste in the year 2022.
Diana’s 2022 Calendar
From all indications, Diana had a busy 2022. There was not a single weekend that Diana was not billed to perform at an event in 2022. If she was not attending an event in Ghana, then she was attending and playing shows in the US, the UK and across Europe. In most of these events, the organizers made her the headline act. Some of the notable and high-ranking events for which Diana was the headline act included the 5th Anniversary of the enstoolment of Asantehemaa, Nana Konadu Yiadom III, the 30th Wedding Anniversary reception dinner of former President Mahama, the book launch of Dr Ama Busia amongst a host of many others.
Online Streaming Statistics
In terms of numbers on digital platforms, Diana’s online streaming statistics are as follows:
YouTube
My Meditations -1.4M views
Pentecostal Praise – 1.1M views
The Name of Jesus – 819k views
Free Indeed – 278k views
Her Combined YouTube views of 3.6 million views for her releases under the year make her the most-watched Ghanaian gospel artiste.
Boomplay statistics positioned Diana as the most streamed gospel act for 2022. Her streaming numbers per the statistics from the streaming platforms are 10m plus more than that of the artiste who came in second. She leads the pack in streaming numbers for the gospel category
category definition of the Artiste of the year includes one with the highest audience appeal, then Diana Hamilton who is the best Gospel Artiste in Ghana at the moment should have been nominated.
Diana’s appeal is unmatched in the gospel music space. She is simply a fan favourite making her omission from the Artiste of the year very surprising. If there is one Gospel Artiste who deserves to be Artiste of the year, it is Diana Hamilton. Her continuous omission is a slap in the face of the fans, who are key players in the success of the VGMA.
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