Up your game to attract corporate sponsorship — Kwesi Ernest to Gospel acts

Kofi Duah Showbiz News May - 02 - 2023 , 12:45 2 minutes read

ARTISTE manager and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Media Excel Productions Kwesi Ernest has advised gospel musicians to give a complete package of themselves when they hit the stage in order to attract sponsorship from corporate bodies.

According to him, only a handful of gospel artistes are able to garner sponsorship as a result of their large fanbase and showmanship when they hit the stage.

“Now that it is not very easy to get corporate bodies to support gospel shows, the onus lies on gospel musicians to do the needful by putting their acts together and making sure that they are attractive enough to catch the eye of sponsors.

“Artistes such as MOGmusic, Diana Hamilton, Ohemaa Mercy, Joe Mettle, Piesie Esther and a few others are doing great out there. However, more needs to be done if we want good sponsorship for gospel events” he told Graphic Showbiz.

Kwesi Ernest also appealed to corporate bodies to be welcoming when gospel musicians seek support from them for their events.

“I don’t want to mention names but I have been to some of these companies and it is boldly written at their front desk that they don’t sponsor gospel events. I would want to use this opportunity to encourage them to be welcoming. Sponsorship helps a lot, especially in these hard times,” he added.

Asked about his view on the current gospel scene, Kwesi Ernest said the sector is doing great. “I say this because it didn’t use to happen. To have three Gospel artistes in the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) Artiste of the Year category is a huge deal. Now, most of the categories have a gospel artiste in there—Best Collaboration, Best Female Vocalist, Best Video, Most Popular Song, among others,” he stated.

Kwesi Ernest, who has managed a lot of artistes including Becca, Praye, Stella Seal, Francis Adjei and currently manages ACP Kofi Sarpong and Abena Ruthy, said he is confident Piesie Esther will win the Artiste of the Year at this year’s VGMA because she worked harder than all the other artistes competing for the ultimate prize.

“Some Ghanaians will not agree with me but the truth is that she deserves it.

Her works in the year under review are unmatched and she deserves it one time,” he added.