Best Ghanaian musician for 2016 Joe Mettle has promised to fete music lovers with a new single before the Easter festivities. Full name Joseph Oscar Mettle, the gospel artiste was named 2017 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards at the Accra International Conference Center last Saturday.

He beat competition from secular artistes EL, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy – who are all past winners – MzVee and Medikal to be crowned winner at the 18th Awards.

He was also named Gospel Artiste of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. Speaking in an interview with TV3’s Owusu Worae on Monday, April 10, the Onwanwani hitmaker attributed his feat to “divine favour”.

“It just fell on me,” he admitted. He said the award puts loads of pressure on him, especially not to disappoint his fans in the gospel music fraternity.

“It means hardwork because obviously the expectations will be more,” he acknowledged. “There is more at stake [that] you can’t afford to disappoint.”

Gospel artistes rarely win the coveted award as Mettle’s feat comes more than a decade since the genre got its maiden gong.




‘It is not political’ Opinions have drifted to the school that gospel songs do not cut across the cross-section of the public unlike hiplife, reggae and dancehall songs.

For Joe Mettle, aside assigning favour to his feat, more music videos may have upped his popularity. “Sometimes when you put a face to the sound, it helps,” he observed.

He said a new single, which he has worked on for some time now, will hit the airwaves before the Easter break. “Before the end of the week, we might come out with a new single, which is long overdue.” It will be titled Yesu Adi Nkunim. “It is not political,” he clarified in jest.