Good job, Joe Mettle

Gospel music has always been one of the vibrant music styles in Ghana and has produced so many of the country’s top artistes like Joe Mettle, Tagoe Sisters, Daughters of Glorious Jesus, Soul Winners, Obaapa Christy, Ohemaa Mercy, Nii Okai, Nacee, OJ and many others.

However in terms of marketability, especially on the international scene, it has always lagged behind with Hiplife, Dancehall, Reggae and Hip-Hop dominating.

It seems the Gospel musicians themselves have over the years not really understood the power of promotion and marketing and how far it can take them.

Thankfully, this narrative is changing with the current crop of artistes who are determined to make sure they exploit every avenue to reach a much wider audience.

Musicians like Sonnie Badu, Diana Hamilton and recently Joe Mettle have become adept at this and others are following suit.

Joe Mettle, the reigning Vodafone Ghana Music Awards’ Artiste of the Year, is making waves with his current single ‘Bo Noo Ni’ which has reached number one on Apple Music and is the number one trending song on Youtube Ghana.

This is something that makes us at Showbiz very happy because it helps to put a spotlight on Ghanaian Gospel music in a positive way.

Until recently, there was no way you would have found our brand of Gospel music on any music streaming service and we are happy that things are improving.

For years, artistes in Ghana have complained about a shrinking market for their songs but the time has come to think outside the box and find new ways of selling their albums. Clearly, online is the way to go and we must take advantage.

Another thing worthy of note is the content of the songs. Over time, questions have been asked of our musicians for their focus on showmanship to the detriment of inspiring lyrics and they need to hone the songwriting aspect well.

We commend Joe Mettle for his achievement and for the way he promotes Ghana with his craft. We encourage managers of Gospel artistes to be innovative and keep up with modern trends if they hope to break through onto the international scene.