Nana Yaw Boakye’s mother had banked her hopes on her son turning out to be a banker. He recalls how his mother was inspired to get him his first suit from a second-hand clothing store in Ashaiman as that was all she could afford then.

His mother simply loved the way bankers dressed sharp and smart. He still looks sharp and smart on stage. But no, he is not a banker. Nana Yaw Boakye is a pastor with the Royal House Chapel International.

But he is more popularly known as a gospel artist who is better known by the stage name MOG Music. The baritone-voiced artiste has been belting out popular worship songs that multiply themselves through the mobile phones of several contemporary young Christians. And ‘Oh My God, MOG can sing.’

With five albums to his credit, it was his third album that got him recognition. Before its release he had told his wife that “if it does not work for me, that’s it I’m done”.

He revealed that “it was so bad that I literally had to travel outside the country…I gave it my all and it paid off”.
And it did. On August 28, 2020, sitting inside the New Dome where the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards was held, he heard his name ring out through the auditorium.

The Male vocalist of the year is Nana Yaw Boakye, MOG. MOG reflected on last year’s awards while speaking on the AM Show, the “Be Lifted” hitmaker attributed his progress and success to his mother whose foundation, he said, has kept him grounded.

He said since that recognition, there has been an increasing demand on him within the gospel music community to do collaborations and features.

“It placed me in the limelight for industry players to also know me more,” he expressed gratitude to God.

According to him, people in Ghana and abroad paid attention to him sometimes out of curiosity to ascertain if indeed he deserved the award. This development he said gave him leverage and exposure.

Advising new entrants, he said some young people believe the fiction they see online is reality “when somebody poses in a Rolls-Royce shooting a video, they think you bought it”.

He called on religious bodies to create more awareness and encourage young people to follow the process and be patient whilst urging the government to create systems that would create jobs.

His award last year is an award that keeps giving. This year, MOG has again been nominated in the Male Vocalist category as well as Gospel Song and Gospel Artiste of the Year.

As his gospel music career soars, his mother is smiling, not on her way to the bank, but smiling because her son through his music is showing young Christians the way to God.