Producer says award schemes have not been helpful

Ghanaian music producer, David Kojo Kyei aka Kaywa has observed that award schemes have contributed to the fallen standards of music in the country.

His comment comes on the back of assertions by singer and rapper, Mzbel that 90% of the current crop of songs lack lyrical content because the generation wants to dance to the beat.

“Unfortunately, the Ghanaian system and artistes are always bound by the fact that in the year under review, you need to have a hit so you qualify for an award. So we don’t research. Our attention is on the award. Unfortunately, award schemes have not helped. Everybody wants to put out something quick,” he said on Peace FM’s Entertainment Review last Saturday.

In as much as he asserts that award schemes have not been helpful, Kaywa mentioned that one does not need more lyrics on a beat to make a hit.

“Hit is not just the beat or vocals. You don’t need to put in a lot of vocals to have a hit. You don’t have to say too many things. You’re summarizing what you want to say. At first, we told long stories. Now, it has changed. We need to accept and embrace. We’ve got to a point where you need to summarise all you want to say so the chorus and hook tell what you mean,” he noted.

Some industry players including Knii Lante have questioned why a music awards scheme like the Ghana Music Awards is based on popularity while musicianship has been sidelined.