Merqury Quaye
I have celebrated so many personalities within the arts and creative industry and it is always a pleasure to do so. In this week’s edition of Flex Newspaper and in this particular column, I would be celebrating a personality with whom I have had so many issues so far as the organization of the Ghana DJ Awards is concerned.
But truth be told, in spite of all the difficulties he faces in organizing the awards, I believe this is the right time to celebrate him for his contribution to the growth of the arts and creative industry. For this week’s edition of Celebrations with Ebenezer Narh Affum, it’s obvious that Merqury Quaye is the person to be celebrated.
He is not that old but then, he has been very active in the art and creative industry for the number of years he has been around. Merqury was the host of the first ever music video chart show in Ghana, Soundcity Top 10 on GTV in 2007. The Video Chart Show was very successful as it gained a huge viewership and on Soundcity, Merqury combined his love for music, a crazy fashion buzz and his voice – the result; winning many hearts across Ghana.
He has done some great interviews and some of the notable personalities he has interviewed include US rap mogul Nas, Keisha White, Wyclef Jean, Tuface Idibia, Rhian Benson and a host of others.
Officially, he became Ghana’s Most Wanted, Tic Tac’s publicist and official DJ in 2007 and played a great part in making the ‘Kangaroo’ song and dance an African sensation. He produced four out of the songs on Tic Tac’s 10th Day Album. He was the host of the Nescafe Hot Mug festival; a fun-filled activation event for giant firm Nestle which featured Ghana’s top artists including VIP, Kwaw Kesse, Kaakie, Tinny, DJ Black. He also hosted the Coca Cola Open Happiness tour and Coca Cola One Hit Competition in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
Merqury owns a music recording studio where he has recorded several local hits and radio commercials. Versatile Merq as he is affectionately called in some quarters, has also given a shot at acting in “Hotel St. James”, “Friday Night” (a Van Vicker Film) and “A Promise to keep”, a TV series. In a way to serve the community in a more significant manner, Merqury has used radio as a conduit to inform, educate and offer companionship to millions of Ghanaians.
In 2011, he founded the Ghana DJ Awards, a program on the Ghana entertainment calendar that would make history as the first ever national Disc Jockey honors to be conducted on African soil with fabulous objectives. The Ghana DJ Awards highlights the contribution DJs have made to the music distribution & promotion by playing on radio, endorsing & putting Ghana music out to be enjoyed by the masses. It also empowers the Ghanaian Disc Jockeys by creating a loyal patronage for Disc Jockey-driven events.
The Ghanaian DJ is also motivated to reach for higher standards, raise his or her ambitions and help the DJ realize his or her hopes and dreams. Since February 2013, he has been Editor and Writer for the Celebrity Newspaper and as part of his work, he plans, coordinates and executes editorial initiatives for the newspaper.
He also writes entertainment features, review and news articles for publications, including Editorial, analyzes performance of content with an eye for ways to improve and works with authors, publishers and marketing team to create best-in-class features that delight readers.
Merqury also analyzes traffic patterns and optimizes for seasonality, relevance, and selection. He also does Drive setting and design improvements to completion by coordinating with designers and printers as well as engages and builds the reader community via email and social media.
He is also the CEO /Founder of the Ghana Dj Awards which has been on for some years. The awards presented by Merqury Republic Events include a number of genres and honors DJs both old and new. Gospel, High Life, Hip Life (a blend of hip-hop and high life), and reggae DJs are also recognized. Awards are also presented for the best female DJ, club DJ, radio DJ, scratching DJ, and more. The most promising newcomer is given the DJ Discovery of the Year award, while the legacy of a legend in the field is marked by a Lifetime Achievement award.
He was also the Brands Manager for SoundCity Ghana from October 2013 – January 2015 (1 year 4 months). He also worked as a Radio Presenter at Atlantis Radio from September 2010 – June 2012 (1 year 10 months) Accra, Ghana and whilst there, he doubled listenership to the Atlantis Evening Drive in one quarter. He also Increased Saturday morning listenership as the presenter of the Atlantis Weekend Buzz; an entertainment magazine show on which he featured several Ghanaian and international music and film celebrities including Rhian Benson, Samini, Jay Ghartey, Miss Ghana UK 2012, Efya and John Dumelo.
He also spearheaded entertainment and features coverage on the station’s prime time Evening Drive. Merqury produced and presented 5@5, a feature on which 5 songs with the same theme were played with intriguing facts shared with listeners. Between January 2009 – February 2010 (1 year 2 months), he was the Drive Time Presenter at the then Choice Fm and between November 2007 – August 2008 (10 months), he was the Television Presenter of the first ever music video chart show in Ghana by SoundCity Ghana produced by Point Blank Media.
