Kwadwo Nkansah, better known as Lilwin, has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind.
As an actor, musician, and comedian, he has carved out a unique space for himself in Ghana’s entertainment industry.
However, despite his success, he feels underappreciated, especially when it comes to his music.
Speaking on Property FM with Amansan Krakye, Lilwin didn’t hold back about his frustration with Ghana’s award system, questioning why his musical contributions have not been recognized over the years.
“I’m not regarded as a serious musician despite the number of hits that I have been able to produce over the years since I started music,” he lamented, his voice tinged with both pride and disappointment.
It’s a perplexing reality for someone whose songs, such as ‘Ladder’, ‘Mama Boss Papa’, ‘Anointing’, and ‘Woto Mpo Ni’, have dominated the airwaves and become household tunes.
Yet, in all this success, Lilwin said he is yet to receive acknowledgment in the form of an award.
“Have you ever heard Lilwin being awarded at the TGMA?” he questioned, clearly exasperated.
For Lilwin, the situation goes beyond personal neglect; it’s a reflection of a larger problem in Ghana’s entertainment industry.
Comparing the local landscape to that of Western countries, he said, “A white man doesn’t bother whether you are a musician or not, but when you release a song and it becomes a hit, they will reward you accordingly with an award.”
This, however, is not the case in Ghana, where he believes awards come with conditions that he finds absurd.
“They want you to pay some money for you to be given an award,” he revealed.
This pay-for-play nature of recognition, according to him, undermines the very essence of celebrating talent and hard work.
True to his comedic roots, Lilwin injected humor into his critique, saying,
“To pay money for an award, I’d rather use it to eat Kokonte.” The statement drew laughter but also painted a vivid picture of his disillusionment with the system.
Adding to his grievances, Lilwin pointed out the glaring inconsistency in how new artists are treated compared to veterans like himself.
“When you observe the new crop of musicians in the scene, some release only one hit song and they’re given an award, and some just do two hit songs,” he said, highlighting what he sees as a lack of fairness.
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