In a music industry that’s constantly evolving, Ghana’s hitmakers are proving that success isn’t just about the numbers—it’s about connecting with the fans.

Camidoh’s 'Sugarcane Remix', featuring Mayorkun, King Promise, and Darkoo, has claimed the top spot on The Sound of Ghana index with a staggering 87.9 million views on YouTube. But the real surprise? Black Sherif’s 'Kwaku the Traveller' leaped from 4th place in views to 2nd place overall when engagement metrics such as comments, likes, and replies were factored in. 

This is according to a new ranking from The Sound of Ghana, an annual music analytics report by Zach Levi & Associates–an emerging data science firm. The report evaluates the leading Ghanaian music videos through a framework that contrasts music ranking by views alone and then with other engagement metrics. 

The first section of the report lists the most viewed official Ghanaian music videos from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023. Leading the list is Camidoh’s 'Sugarcane Remix', featuring Mayorkun, King Promise, and Darkoo, with 87,950,761 views. This is followed by Amaarae's 'Sad Girlz Luv Money Remix' (featuring Moliy and Kali Uchis) with 28,172,295 views. Notably, two gospel songs make the list: Nacee's 'Aseda' and Piesie Esther’s 'Wayε Me Yie', ranked 12th and 17th with 7,144,390 and 5,257,856 views, respectively. Kuami Eugene’s 'Single' rounds out the list in 20th with over 4 million views at the end of 2023.

The second part of the report evaluates the videos using the ZLA Music Video Index: a model which accounts for both views and engagement. In this model, Camidoh’s 'Sugarcane Remix' retains 1st place, whereas Black Sherif’s 'Kwaku the Traveller' climbs to 2nd place, despite being 4th by views only. Conversely, Amaarae’s 'Sad Girlz Luv Money Remix' drops to 4th, despite being 2nd by views only. And concluding the list, Olivetheboy’s 'Goodsin' drops to 20th, while 15th by views. 

One unique feature of the report is the relative search interest framework, which considers the level of interest in artistes’ profiles across countries–and how such interest compares with Ghana. Overall, Nigeria garners the highest level of search interest in Ghanaian artistes on the continent; but remarkably, two artistes attain significant search interest beyond Africa–Amaarae and Gyakie.

The ZLA Music Video Score Index demonstrates that views alone don’t tell the whole story. Engagement is the new currency of success, and the artistes who understand this are the ones who will thrive in the long run. For artistes, managers, and marketers, these insights could be the secret sauce to crafting a hit that resonates within and far beyond the borders of Ghana.  

To explore the full report, visit https://shorturl.at/fdYWL or our LinkedIn (Zach Levi & Associates).