Ghanaian singer Sista Afia has voiced her frustration over what she describes as repeated sidelining at the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA), following the exclusion of her song Asuoden from that year’s nominations.
The track, which featured award-winning artist Kuami Eugene, was widely received upon release and quickly gained heavy rotation on radio and television. Despite its strong commercial performance, it failed to make the awards shortlist, a decision that has left the singer deeply disappointed.
Reflecting on the period, Sista Afia said the reaction to the snub made her question whether her work was being intentionally overlooked. “Asuoden really hurts me till now, that was when I realised there’s a sabotage going on with me. In less than two weeks after I released it, the song was everywhere, but when nominations came out, Asuoden wasn’t in,” she said while reflecting on the success of the record in an interview with MC Portfolio on Angel FM in Kumasi.
According to her, she had submitted multiple projects for consideration across roughly eight categories, including Best Vocal Performance and other major slots. However, none of her entries received nominations, a result she found surprising given the reach of her submissions.
She argued that the omission of Asuoden in particular reinforced her belief that she was being deliberately excluded from recognition within the scheme.
Sista Afia added that after the nominations were announced, she began to wonder if there were unwritten expectations beyond producing and properly submitting music for consideration.
Even so, she made it clear she is not prepared to compromise her principles for visibility or awards recognition. “I’m not the type of person to kiss asses. I do my work how I’m supposed to, so if that’s what it takes, I’m sorry because I don’t kiss asses,” the Ghanaian singer added.
Watch her remarks below.
@gists_online Sista Afia breaks silence on why she has never secured a TGMA award during an interview with @MC PORTFOLIO #gistsonline ♬ original sound – Gists Online
