Organizers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA), Charterhouse Production Ltd, have denied any involvement in the controversial crowning of Kuami Eugene by Amakye Dede at the 20th VGMAs.
Robert Klah, head of public events and communication at Charterhouse speaking with Asaase Radio said it did not have any role to play in the controversial matter.
“We did not orchestrate any crowning session,” Klah said “So I am a bit lost when it comes to the assertion that event organisers are responsible.
According to Klah, the mandate of Charterhouse was to ensure that the overall event runs smoothly and maintains a certain standard while providing opportunities for artists to showcase their talents.
“We work with a team… so, you give them the opportunity, they create what they want to do, …the only thing is that you want to ensure that whatever they are going to present is not distasteful, so they get there and perform their act and you move on,” Klah revealed
Amakye Dede in a recent interview revealed that he was forced to crown the young singer.
Elaborating on the incident, Amakye Dede stated, “Though I did that, it was not my will to do so, They forced me to crown Kuami Eugene.”
He further revealed that he initially handed over the crown he was given to someone else however, he was persuaded by others involved in the event to go ahead and crown Kuami Eugene.
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“I even gave the crown they handed over to me to someone to put it down, but they later said, no I have to crown him, and I did it,” he shared.
Amakye Dede’s action received widespread criticism from various players in the music industry, including Zapp Mallet, Akwaboah and Arnold Asamoah-Baidoo.
However, Charterhouse has clarified that they had no part in orchestrating the crowning session.
Amakye Dede’s commentary on the matter follows the same tangent his manager Akwesi Aboagye, stated in an interview on Anigye Mmre on Onua FM when the incident occurred in 2019.
According to Aboagye, Kiki Banson, who was responsible for the artist repertoire at the VGMAs, contacted him to inform him of their plan to have Amakye Dede crown Kuami Eugene during his performance.
“KiKi Banson, who was in charge of artiste repertoire for the 2019 VGMAs, called to inform me that as part of Amakye Dede’s performance, they want him to crown Kuami Eugene and I told him I have to speak to my artiste about it,” he revealed
Mr. Aboagye noted that Amakye Dede still declined the offer despite the persuasion, but he was ‘ambushed’ on stage when a crown was given to him unexpectedly to be put on Kuami Eugene’s head.
“So those who watched that act will know that something was not right. According to Amakye Dede, he was surprised to see a lady walk on stage to hand over a crown to him,” Mr Aboagye narrated.