After 25 years, the most anticipated night in Ghana music history did not start as many expected—with pomp and pageantry.

The event, which was broadcast for about seven hours, began with a delay and sound challenges that slowed down the pace of the red carpet, eventually affecting the opening performance of the night.

Nonetheless, in true Ghana Music Awards fashion, the enthusiastic crowd, unexpected performances, and long-awaited wins saved the night as the event progressed.

The night opened with King Promise performing a medley of his songs, beginning with "CCTV," the 2017 hit that earned him one of his early TGMA wins.

Despite high anticipation, the performance faced some sound quality issues, which greatly disappointed viewers. However, this did not deter the artiste from giving of his best, accompanied by dancers led by Dancegod Lloyd.

He was not the only artiste facing troubles; King Paluta and Amewuga were among those whose performances did not impress.

However, the technical team seemed to have fixed the issues when the likes of Kuami Eugene and Nacee, whose performance was preceded by a group dancing to a marching band, Amerado and Mr Drew also graced the stage.

25th TGMA: Nacee took us to Church. #25thTGMA | #JoyEntertainment pic.twitter.com/EcvMn48DEw

— Joy 99.7 FM (@Joy997FM) June 2, 2024

Fresh off picking an award, Amerado (@Amerado_Burner) performs Kwaku Ananse to a receptive audience. #25thTGMA#GhanaMusic pic.twitter.com/hOuOpAgDW6

— Ghana Music (@GhanaMusic) June 2, 2024

Efya's performance was one of the highlights of the night. She stepped on stage dressed in an all-white bedazzling dress while on a suspended swing.

With barely any noticeable difficulties, her performance earned her accolades like, “Efya is who she says she is.”

Watch Efya (@EFYA_Nokturnal) descend for her #25thTGMA Oluwa Is My Helper performance #GhanaMusic pic.twitter.com/kiR0R5h9BM

— Ghana Music (@GhanaMusic) June 2, 2024

Stonebwoy arguably carried the night with his spectacular set, performing "Life and Money," "Manodzi," "Ekelebe," "Into the Future," and "Overlord."

He was not hindered by sound hiccups and seemed to overshadow the technical troubles with his years of experience.

Wonderful!
Watch when Stonebwoy (@stonebwoy) performed Manodzi at the #25thTGMA#GhanaMusic pic.twitter.com/i1vqiIQhkM

— Ghana Music (@GhanaMusic) June 2, 2024

Stonebwoy Performing “Life & Money” ft. Stormzy At The #25thTGMA pic.twitter.com/qcBdHMEQro

— AccraGuy (@AccraGuyy) June 2, 2024

Surprises

This year’s event had a lot in store for the audience in terms of performances. One of the first surprises was the amazing tribute by four talented artistes to the legendary Highlife musician Amakye Dede, who was honoured with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.

The quartet—Kwabena Kwabena, Akwaboah, Eno Barony, and Epixode—performed different renditions of Amakye Dede’s songs.

Kwabena Kwabena first graced the stage with a sweet version of "Kanea Maye Kyere Me," followed by Akwaboah's performance of "Su Fre Wo Nyame," joined by Eno Barony, whose rap elevated the performance and left fans excited for more.

Lastly, Epixode sang "Adukuro Mu Nsuo," paving the way for the legendary Amakye Dede himself, who received a standing ovation during his set.

What a lovely performance in honour of Amakye Dede at #25thTGMA#GhanaMusicpic.twitter.com/353DfeiqWd

— Ghana Music (@GhanaMusic) June 2, 2024

Nacee surprised the audience during his set with his rendition of the late KODA's song 'Hossana'.

Nacee is sizeless in Ghanaian music!!! From production to singing to everything!!!! pic.twitter.com/4St98Hk8St

— KOJO DYNAMIC (@AnnanPerry) June 2, 2024

The last set of performances honoured music and musicians from the early 2000s, with some artistes showing up on stage to perform. Tblaze, Mzbel, Okyeame Kwame, and Akatakyie performed classics like "16 Years," "Odo Esisi Me," and "Woso," while Reggie Rockstone, who did not perform as long as his peers, gave a speech reminding people of Ghana’s great music past.

Additionally, although a long time coming, Strongman finally won his first Telecel Ghana Music Awards trophy—Best Rap Performance. Although he was not at the event to accept his award, he took to social media to celebrate, writing, “Finally the best rapper won the BEST RAPPER.”

For Kofi Kinaata, his nomination in the Best Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year category may not have been surprising because of 'Effiekuma Love's genre. But, winning over dancehall giants like Stonebwoy and Samini impressed many.

King Paluta took home his first TGMA awards on Saturday, winning Best New Artiste and Best Hiplife Song. He was left emotional when delivering his second speech.

Awards

Stonebwoy was the big winner of the night, taking home six awards: Artiste of the Year, Best International Collaboration, Best Reggae/Dancehall Artiste, Songwriter of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Dancehall Artiste.

Stonebwoy’s win was not a surprise to many, but his contender King Promise’s loss was—many of his fans argued that he also deserved it.

However, King Promise did not go home empty-handed; he won the Afropop Song of the Year and Afrobeat/Afropop Artiste of the Year awards.

Nacee, whose song "Aseda" performed extremely well during the year, swept the Gospel categories, winning Best Gospel Song and Best Gospel Artiste of the Year.

Additionally, two Gospel musicians took home the Best Male Vocalist (Kofi Karikari) and Best Female Vocalist (Queendalyn Yurglee) awards.

Read the full list here: 2024 TGMA: Stonebwoy wins six awards, King Promise takes three; see full winners’ list