I WON’T ‘SPREAD’ ANY MAN – VIVIAN

Kumasi-based movie actress, Vivian Jill Lawrence, is not the kind of woman who is likely to spend a pesewa on her lover man and she makes that very clear when responding to questions about her choice of man.

 According to her, she is very stingy when it comes to giving out money to her man.

“I don’t think I can spend my money on any man no matter how much I love him and no matter how broke he may be”, she told Showbiz last Saturday.

“Whatever money I make now is for the upkeep of myself and my son and also for my future. Probably, the most I can do for my man in terms of spending will be providing him with food and drink but not  cash,” Vivian said with a laugh.

Popular for a string of movies including Kayayoo, Ama Ghana, Sekina, Rebecca, Adom, Asew Red Card and Daakye Asem, Vivian revealed that she is  single because she had not yet met the right man she wants to settle down with.

She said many men had come her way and she often sends them away.  Vivian who was born to a Scottish father and a Ghanaian mother said that she finds it rather easy breaking up relationships with men.

“Although I am very caring and give all the attention to my man whenever I find myself in a relationship, it is simple for me to say it is over. I often do that  through text messages, WhatsApp or on Facebook. Usually, when I tell them it is over, the men  think I am joking until I start avoiding them, then they realise I am serious”
“My friends tell me I am crazy when it comes to breaking up with  boyfriends but the fact is,  I am a principled person and never want to be taken for granted. I will not allow a man to kill me before my time. If I feel I don’t find you interesting again, you will go” the mother of 16 year-old son said.
Although Vivian says she is bidding her time until Mr Right shows up, she says her  family and friends continue to  mount pressure on her to settle down especially now that she is making money from her acting career.
“They are mounting pressure on me to settle down because they think I have what it takes to marry. I have tried several times to tell them that marriage is a gift from God  but they are not convinced.
Because of her stand-off stance, Vivian is sometimes tagged as a lesbian but when she was asked, she denied it.
Vivian Jill who started her acting career five years ago has acted alongside actors Agya Koo, Lil Win, Emelia Brobbey, Bill Asamoah, Kyeiwaa and Nana Ama McBrown.
She said she was grateful to colleague actor, Bill Asamoah, for giving her the encouragement when she went through challenges in the early stages of her acting career.

VGMA – NO HONOUR FOR MEDIA

Some observers have questioned why the organizer of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, (VGMA), Charterhouse has failed over the years to recognize the contributions of the media with, at least, honorary awards for music journalists, broadcasters and radio disc jockeys who promote Ghanaian music.

The Chairman of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Board, Nii Ayite Hammond, in response to the question, said: “For now, the focus is on the artistes and those who are directly involved in the creation of music.

That is why, for instance, we have dropped the award for The Executive Producer of the Year, which was a very prominent award from the inception of the event”.

He said, the radio disc jockeys had raised the issue in the past and if the point is made strongly and it comes to the “table” of the VGMA board as a public concern, “We may look at, why not?”
Meanwhile, after the huge hype plus the deafening controversy that followed the threat by popular dancehall singer, Shatta Wale to boycott the 15th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, Charterhouse finally staged a big show at the Accra International Conference Centre on Saturday.

Incidentally, Shatta carried out his threat and stayed away from the event. That, however, did not stop him from picking three awards including the two top honours, Song of the Year, “Dancehall King,” and Artiste of the Year. The third one was the Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year.

Days after the VGMA, rumours had it that Shatta’s awards, which were received on his behalf by “a certain lady” at the ceremony, were “missing”.

The Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) on Tuesday issued a statement to clear the air. “It has come to the notice of the Musicians Union of Ghana, news making the rounds that Shatta Wale’s awards are missing,” the statement said.

“We wish to state that all the three awards are with MUSIGA and not missing as reported”.
The statement explained that Shatta Wale, who is a member of MUSIGA, had asked the President of the union to pick any award he may win at the event on his behalf since he was not going to be able to attend the show.

The lady who received Shatta Wale’s awards was a special guest of MUSIGA, who is also a big fan of Shatta Wale and the Shatta Movement.

The union said the lady, whose name, MUSIGA failed to mention “is a very respectable and honourable person and we wish to apologise for any harm caused her. Meanwhile, MUSIGA has made arrangements for Shatta Wale to pick up his awards.

The full list of winners is as follows; Gospel Song of  The Year, OJ –  with the song, “Maye se mo pen”, Highlife Song Of The Year, Castro –( Odo pa), Afropop Song Of The Year, Fuse ODG – (Million Pound Girl), Hip Hop Song Of The Year, Sarkodie – Lies (Feat. Lil’ Shaker), Hiplife Song Of The Year, Guru – (Boys Abre), Gospel Artiste Of The Year – Sonnie Badu, Highlife Artiste Of The Year, Kwabena Kwabena, Hiplife/Hip Hop Artiste Of The Year, Sarkodie – (Down on One), African Artiste Of The Year, Davido, Best Collaboration Of The Year, Kwabena Kwabena / Samini – (Adult Music), and Best Video Of The Year, Knii Lante – (Baby Take Good Care).

The award for Best Female Vocal Performance went to Efya, Best Male Vocal Performance of The Year, Sonnie Badu, Best Rapper of The Year, Sarkodie, Best Group of the Year, R2Bees, New Artiste of the Year, Joey B, Album of the Year, Sarkodie – (Sarkology).

MY GOSPEL SONG AWARD WAS COMPENSATION – O.J

Michael Oware Sakyi popularly known in showbiz as OJ has said the Gospel Song of the Year award presented to him at the recently held Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, was just to appease him.

OJ disclosed to Flex newspaper that he deserved more than what was given him. “I think this a public knowledge. Who doesn’t know I was supposed to have won the Songwriter of the Year award? I thank God that at least I did not fight for myself after the award eluded me. 

To be honest with you, I take solace in the fact that, a lot of people including some members on the VGMA board and the media at large have noticed the fact that the songwriter award should have come to me,” he said.

“Those who really know me know that I am an honest person and very principled. I don’t let my selfish interests steal my conscience. 

When one deserves something, I don’t fight for it. I make sure I say it as it is to set the record straight. Even in the first week the nomination list came out, I granted a lot of interviews to the media where I stated the fact that, categories like the Gospel Artiste of the year should be given to Sonnie Badu and also consecutive times even had always claimed my song stated why the Gospel Album of the year award should be given to Joyce Blessing all because, I believed they meet the standards,” he added.

He also believed that even if for nothing at all, a category like the Songwriter of the Year should have been given to him. “I believed in the song I wrote and many music pundits have said the same thing. The likes of Okyeame Kwame who has won that category two ’Ma Ye Se Mopen’ deserved the Songwriter of the year award including Rex Omar,” he lamented.

OJ says what hurts him most for not winning the songwriter award is the fact that, his strength lies in his song writing skills so denying him of that and giving him any other award, seemed compensatory and nothing else.

“I use this as an opportunity to thank my fans and loved ones who have always stood behind me all this while. I am grateful for their loyalty. I want to assure them that I am still OJ and nothing can discourage me or affect my music writing skills. I have a lot of deep songs that can beat the imagination of Ghanaians and I shall release them as and when God gives me the direction,” OJ concluded

WE DON’T PAY INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS TO PERFORM AT VGMA, CHARTER HOUSE

Organizers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, Charter House has denied reports that they pay huge amount of money to foreign artists to perform at the main event of the annual Ghana Music Awards.

According to the Director of Productions at Charter House, Nii Ayitey Hammond, all the international artists including P-square, D’banj, Wizkid, Iyanya, Davido, Awilo and others who have performed at the main event of Ghana Music Awards are not paid for their services. 

He disclosed to Bra Chef on Radio Univers that “if they are coming to perform at the awards night, they don’t charge us and we don’t pay them. All we do is, we ensure that we take care of their flight, their accommodations, their per diem and give them their honorarium because they understand that it is an awards night”.

He continued that international artists are paid commercial fees when they are hired for other concerts in Ghana aside music awards.

He however stated that Ghanaian acts are paid commercial fees due them for their services at any of Ghana Music Awards events.

“Every Ghanaian act you see perform on any of the being it the nominees jam, the industry awards and the final events are paid”
“Obviously they will charge and us and we will negotiate so when we come into an agreement, then we put the money through” Nii Ayitey Hammond added.

The question remains, do you believe this? Let’s know you thoughts on this.

I HAVE PROMISED MYSELF & GOD I AM NOT GOING TO BE POOR

“I overhead they paid artistes from Nigeria 40,000 and 45,000 dollars but when I asked for 70,000 cedis, organizers refused because I told them I don’t really need an award from them because I don’t trust them, so I was really surprised they gave me all those awards.

“They refused to pay me because they wanted to take me cheap like they take other Ghanaian artistes for cheap that is why I didn’t go for the awards.”

“ As for me Shatta Wale, I have promised myself and God that I am not going to be poor in this music industry and I m going to make sure I bring a change because I want artiste to be respected ,So artiste who perform for free should stop because its killing the industry.”

Quotes from an interview he granted HITZ FM.

CHARTERHOUSE COULD NOT PAY ME – DJ BLACK

After four years of having played as the official DJ at Vodfone Ghana Music Awards night, DJ Black was missing on the stage this year, because, organizers of the award – Charterhouse, could not meet his professional charge.

The official DJ who played for this year’s VGMA night was JD Mic Smith. Though a top-drawer DJ, many patrons who attended the event as well as critics alike have expressed disappointment at his performance regarding his poor selection of songs and timing.

Speaking to Razz Newspaper, DJ Black said; “they contacted me but they could not meet my fee. That is the main reason why I did not play on the night.” As to how much he charged, he did not state it.

In his opinion on how DJ Mic Smith fared on the night, Mr. Tuntum told Razz Newspaper he was on air as DJ on Joy 99.7 Fm, so he could not listen or monitor the VGMA event which was broadcasted live both on GhOne and GTV.

He admitted that there is absolutely no bad blood between him and Charterhouse. DJ Black started his DJ career in 1993 in School. He later joined Prime Cut in 1995 and worked alongside veteran Ghanaian DJs like Azigiza Jnr, DJ Magic Sam, DJ Rab, DJ Kakra, among other.

In 1997, DJ Black moved on to manage Dope Rhyme Studios in Nima, giving rise to his clench on Hiphop music in Ghana. He became the DJ for the streets as he made mixtapes and spinned for Hiplifers like VIP, Bukbak, Obrafuor, etc and being in the forefront of people who strengthened the movement Hiplife.

DJ Black started radio in 1997 at Radio Universe. He holds a BA in Mass Communication from Ghana Institute of Journalism and University of Ghana. He as well has diploma in Public Administration.

He is the host DJ for almost all major shows in Ghana including the Ghana Music Awards. DJ Black won the 2013 Best Ghanaian DJ, Best radio DJ. He can be described as the hottest DJ in Ghana at the moment.
Razz

XCLUSIV FOTOS: MEMORABLE MOMENTS ON STAGE AT VGMA... KWABENA KWABENA GRABS DANCER'S BOOBS

Aside the glitz and glamour on the red carpet at the just ended 15th Ghana Music Awards, there were some unforgettable magic moments on stage.

Award presenters, award winners, performers, the MCs and others who kept the show going on the night were very important part of the awards night.

From a splendid opening performance by Castro De Destroyer, Guru’s “Boys Abre” performance, Elikem’s proposal, John Dumelo prank, Sarkodie’s world class stage presence, Bokom Banku and Ayitey Powers’ appearance, Okomfour Kwadee and Daasebre Dwamena’s surprise appearances, Davido’s energetic show, Iyanya’s average performance, OJ’s refreshing antics on stage, Kwabena Kwabena grabbing his dancer’s breast among other great moments on stage.

Peacefmonline.com brings you pictorial details of what happened on stage.