Ghanaians have taken Grammy as a World Cup, even Bob Marley never won it - Wendy Shay fires

Ghanaian songstress, Wendy Shay has said that winning a Grammy award should not be the yardstick to measure the success of a musician as some individuals perceive.

She acknowledged that winning a Grammy award is good for a musician, however, the impact of songs on the lives of the people is what should be the priority not attaining personal glory.

The songstress indicated that some members of the public have taken the Grammy award as a World Cup and bemoaned why Ghanaians chastised artistes who could not earn a nomination in the 2023 edition of the event after their albums were considered.

“I feel like when our Ghanaian brothers hear of something like this they should manage their expectations because they take it as a world cup. I feel like music is bigger than all of these things. I am not downplaying that fact [Grammy being the biggest award in music].

"It is good to be recognized I mean we will all be happy if one day God willing we should win but that should not be the end of the world if it happens,” she said while speaking in an interview with Giovanni Caleb on the Showbiz 360 programme aired on TV3.

Wendy Shay noted that even though some of the greatest musicians like Bob Marley and Tupac did not win Grammy awards, they are still relevant in the history of music.

He urged Ghanaians to stop using Grammy awards as a yardstick to measure the success of an artiste.

“I feel like some of the greatest musicians that ever walked on this planet such as Bob Marley, Tupac never won Grammy awards so that should not be the yardstick. All I am saying is, it should not be the standard to measure the success of a musician. Music is so powerful that it is the only food for the soul. And to get just a soul to be happy is the ultimate goal,” said Wendy Shay.

Background

Despite high expectations from fans, no Ghanaian names were included in the nominees' list for the prestigious 2024 Grammy Awards ceremony.

Notable Ghanaian acts, including Black Sherif and Stonebwoy, were snubbed despite their albums being widely praised and having the potential to compete in the new Best African Music Performance category.

Prior to the release of the nominee list, artistes like MOG Music and Amaarae were reported to be considered for the Grammys.

However, with the release of the official nominee list for the 2024 Grammys, no Ghanaian acts were featured, leaving the social media landscape shocked and disappointed.

Many speculated the absence of Ghanaian names was due to a lack of push or lobbying from the acts.

Others saw it as a lack of support, promotion and recognition for the Ghanaian music industry, others saw the absence as a wake-up call to the Ghanaian industry to do better.

SB/BB