Charter House explains Samini’s controversial nomination

Samini’s nomination for the category sparked a huge public debate with many asking which dancehall or reggae song of his earned him the nomination, as the only song that gained him nomination is ‘Iskoki’ for Best Hiplife Song of the Year.

But George Quaye, head of Communication at Charter House, in an interview with Abrantepa on Radio Univers’ Brunch 2 Lunch programme, said Samini was nominated for the Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of The Year category because he belongs to that genre and released songs within the year under review.

He disclosed that an artiste category is not based on one’s performance on a song but the work an artiste did in the year under review.

“If you look at Samini on the face value, what artiste is he? He is a reggae/dancehall artiste. If you’ve been observing at the night of the event, when an artiste category is mentioned, we don’t play any of their songs because the artiste category is not about the song; it’s about the person. Did the person release any song in the year under review? The answer is yes. Does that song change the person’s disposition as a musician? The answer is no,” he said.

Citing instances to buttress his point, George said, “Some years back, Daddy Lumba released a gospel song, ‘Mesom Jesus’. If that was the only song he did, would you have said he should be nominated for the Gospel Artiste of the Year category? Kwabena Kwabena released ‘Bue Kwan’ which is a gospel song. If he had made it, which would have been his only song, would you have said he should be nominated as a gospel artiste?”