VGMA 2026: Stonebwoy and Amaarae dominate night of records

Stonebwoy claimed a record fourth Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Artist of the Year at a ceremony at the Accra International Conference Centre that ran past midnight and felt, for much of its five hours, like a genuine celebration of Ghanaian music’s extraordinary moment.nnThe Bhim Nation patriarch, who earlier collected Album of the Year for Epistles of Mama, teared up briefly during his acceptance speech as he thanked his late mother and his original fan community from Ashaiman. “I didn’t start this journey to make history. I started it to feed my family and speak for my people. Everything else is a blessing,” he said.nnAmaarae won three categories — Best Afropop/Afrofusion Song, Best Collaboration and the newly created Global Impact Award, which recognises a Ghanaian artist whose work has generated measurable international commercial impact. She accepted via video from Los Angeles where she is currently recording her third studio album.nnBest Rapper went to Medikal, his third consecutive win in the category. R&B newcomer Maame Akua Asante, 21, caused the upset of the night by beating Black Sherif and KiDi to the Best New Artist award, with judges citing her three-track EP as the strongest debut package submitted.nnThe ceremony itself drew criticism for its length and technical hitches — two audio drops during live performances and a backing track failure during a tribute to highlife legend Kojo Antwi. Organiser Charter House acknowledged the issues on social media and promised a technical review before next year.nnFull list of winners available on the VGMA website.