DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY
The 2026 edition of the Ghana Music Awards Europe (GMAEU) concluded in Düsseldorf on the night of Saturday, September 12, bringing together Ghanaian artistes, music industry professionals, entertainment personalities and members of the Ghanaian diaspora for an evening dedicated to music, recognition and Ghanaian cultural expression.
Held at Tor 3 on Langenberger Straße in Düsseldorf, the ceremony was scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. and formed part of the awards’ continuing effort to connect Ghanaian music with audiences and creative communities across Europe.
At the centre of the night’s results was Wendy Shay, who was named Artiste of the Year, taking the ceremony’s most prominent individual award. Her victory placed her among the principal headline-makers of the 2026 edition and marked another major recognition for the singer on the international Ghanaian music circuit.
A night spanning Ghana and the diaspora
The 2026 Ghana Music Awards Europe reflected the increasingly international character of Ghana’s music industry, with categories recognising both artistes working primarily in Ghana and musicians building careers within the European diaspora.
The organisers describe GMAEU as a platform established to connect Ghanaian artistes with audiences in Europe and beyond while celebrating the diversity of Ghanaian music, including highlife, gospel, hiplife and Afrobeats. The awards also maintain dedicated local and diaspora recognition categories.
The 2026 ceremony followed a build-up that included the unveiling of nominees and promotional activities ahead of the Düsseldorf event. Pre-event reporting identified a broad field of established Ghanaian names and emerging performers competing across local and diaspora categories.
Wendy Shay secures the night’s biggest individual honour
The announcement of Wendy Shay as Artiste of the Year became one of the defining moments of the ceremony.
According to post-event reports, the award came after a highly competitive field featuring prominent figures in Ghanaian music. Her recognition at GMAEU 2026 adds another major international awards-platform honour to her profile.
The European recognition is also notable because it demonstrates the extent to which Ghanaian artists continue to receive recognition across different award platforms and geographic markets.
Legendary recognition for Mrs. Akosua Serwaah Bonsu
Beyond the competitive category awards, the 2026 Ghana Music Awards Europe also recognised distinguished contributions to Ghanaian music and culture through a special Legendary Award.
Mrs. Akosua Serwaah Bonsu was honoured with the Legendary Award, recognising her contribution and place within the broader history and development of Ghanaian creative and cultural expression.
Her recognition added a special commemorative dimension to the Düsseldorf ceremony, bringing attention not only to current chart-topping artistes and emerging performers but also to personalities whose work and influence have contributed to the wider Ghanaian cultural landscape.
The honour formed part of the evening’s broader celebration of achievement, legacy and the continuing connection between Ghanaian culture and communities abroad.
Major honours across Ghana’s music spectrum
Several of Ghana’s established stars also emerged from the ceremony with important category wins.
Piesie Esther received the Gospel Artiste of the Year award, while Kofi Kinaata was named Highlife Artiste of the Year. Stonebwoy received the Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year honour, while Black Sherif secured both Hip Life/Hip Hop Artiste of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year recognition.
The awards also recognised younger and emerging talent. Kojo Blak won New Artiste of the Year, giving the rising performer a significant international accolade and further visibility within Ghana’s expanding contemporary music ecosystem.
Other notable winners included Medikal, who received Best Collaboration of the Year, and Keche, who was recognised as Group of the Year.
Highlife, gospel and contemporary sounds recognised
The results underline the breadth of Ghana’s music traditions represented at the European awards.
In the highlife categories, Kwabena Kwabena’s “Aso Remix” featuring Stonebwoy and Kofi Kinaata was recognised as Highlife Song of the Year. In the Most Popular Song of the Year category, Dope Nation’s “Kakalika” emerged as the winner.
The Reggae/Dancehall categories also featured prominently, with Stonebwoy taking the artiste award and Moliy’s “Shake It to the Max Remix” featuring Shenseea, Skillibeng and Silent Addy winning Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year.
Gospel music was represented by Piesie Esther, who won both Gospel Artiste of the Year and Gospel Song of the Year for “Nyame Ye.”
Diaspora artistes take their place on the main stage
An important feature of GMAEU is its dedicated recognition of musicians working within the Ghanaian diaspora.
The 2026 awards recognised artistes, DJs, songwriters and performers contributing to Ghanaian music and entertainment from outside the country.
Among the diaspora winners, Samuel Sey was recognised as Best Diaspora Artist of the Year and also won Best Male Vocalist and Best Diaspora Video for “Way3 Bi.” M Jay received recognition as both Best Diaspora Hiplife-Pop Artist and Best Diaspora New Artiste.
Rocky Gyasi Afffum won Best Diaspora Afrobeat Song for “Stay by Me,” while Emperor T-Jiga received Best Diaspora Afrobeat Artist.
The diaspora categories further recognised Ade3f3 Kwakye in Highlife, Sama Darta in Reggae/Dancehall, Charity Adjei in Gospel, Mistress Dorcas for Best Diaspora Gospel Song, and Juliana Wyle as Best Female Vocalist.
Full List of Local Winners
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Artiste of the Year | Wendy Shay |
| Best Music Video of the Year | Kweku Smoke |
| Most Popular Song of the Year | Dope Nation – “Kakalika” |
| New Artiste of the Year | Kojo Blak – “Next Door” ft. Sarkodie |
| Gospel Artiste of the Year | Piesie Esther |
| Highlife Artiste of the Year | Kofi Kinaata |
| Highlife Song of the Year | Kwabena Kwabena – “Aso Remix” ft. Stonebwoy & Kofi Kinaata |
| Hip Life/Hip Hop Artiste of the Year | Black Sherif |
| Songwriter of the Year | Black Sherif – “Sacrifice” |
| Group of the Year | Keche |
| Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year | Stonebwoy |
| Gospel Song of the Year | Piesie Esther – “Nyame Ye” |
| Female Vocalist of the Year | Enam – “Amin” |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Black Sherif – “Soma Obi” |
| Album/EP of the Year | Black Sherif – Iron Boy (Album) |
| Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year | Moliy – “Shake It to the Max Remix” ft. Shenseea, Skillibeng & Silent Addy |
| Best Collaboration of the Year | Medikal – “Shoulder” ft. Shatta Wale & Beeztrap KOTM |
Full List of Diaspora Winners
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Diaspora Collaboration | Nana Yaa Otchere (MZ Nana) ft. Obaapa Christy – “Ahoto” |
| Best Diaspora Afrobeat Artist | Emperor T-Jiga |
| Best Diaspora Afrobeat Song | Rocky Gyasi Afffum – “Stay by Me” |
| Best Diaspora Artist of the Year | Samuel Sey |
| Best Diaspora DJ | DJ Sketch |
| Best Diaspora Gospel Artist | Charity Adjei |
| Best Diaspora Gospel Song | Mistress Dorcas |
| Best Diaspora Highlife Artist | Ade3f3 Kwakye |
| Best Diaspora Hiplife-Pop Artist | M Jay |
| Best Diaspora New Artiste | M Jay |
| Best Diaspora Reggae Dancehall Artist | Sama Darta |
| Best Diaspora Video | Samuel Sey – “Way3 Bi” |
| Best Female Vocalist | Juliana Wyle |
| Best Male Vocalist | Samuel Sey |
| Songwriter of the Year | Felicia Boadu |
Düsseldorf becomes a meeting point for Ghanaian creativity
Beyond the trophies, the Düsseldorf ceremony represented the cultural dimension of Ghana’s expanding music presence in Europe.
The official GMAEU platform positions the awards not simply as a competition for trophies but as an avenue for artistic recognition, collaboration and international exposure. Its stated objective is to showcase Ghanaian music to European and global audiences while creating connections between established stars, emerging musicians and the diaspora.
That vision was visible in the structure of the 2026 awards, where internationally recognised Ghanaian artistes shared the programme with newer performers and musicians whose careers are being developed within Europe. The recognition of Mrs. Akosua Serwaah Bonsu with a Legendary Award also added a strong legacy element to the event, highlighting the importance of celebrating longstanding contributions alongside contemporary achievements.
The result was a ceremony that brought several layers of Ghana’s contemporary music industry and cultural heritage into a single awards framework.
Another chapter in Ghana’s global music story
The conclusion of the Ghana Music Awards Europe 2026 in Düsseldorf adds another chapter to the international story of Ghanaian music.
From Wendy Shay’s Artiste of the Year honour to the recognition of established names such as Piesie Esther, Kofi Kinaata, Stonebwoy, Black Sherif, Dope Nation, Keche and Medikal, and the emergence of Kojo Blak among the new-generation winners, the ceremony brought together different generations and styles within Ghana’s music industry.
The evening also created space for broader recognition of legacy and cultural contribution, with Mrs. Akosua Serwaah Bonsu receiving a Legendary Award.
Just as significantly, the diaspora categories placed European-based Ghanaian talent within the same broader awards conversation, reflecting the increasingly interconnected nature of Ghana’s music industry across borders.
For an awards platform whose stated mission is to build a bridge between Ghanaian music and international audiences, the Düsseldorf ceremony served as a visible meeting point between Ghana, Europe and the wider global Ghanaian community.
The 2026 Ghana Music Awards Europe has now closed its curtain, but its list of winners and honourees leaves behind a snapshot of the artistes, songs, albums, cultural figures and creative communities that shaped this year’s celebration of Ghanaian music on European soil.
