Table Of Men Not PR Machine For Gospel Acts — Kwasi Ernest
As the countdown to this year’s Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMAs) gets closer, public relations (PR) engines are roaring for Artiste of the Year contenders such as King Promise, Stonebwoy, and King Paluta, but the same can’t be said of the gospel nominees, like in previous years.
Gospel nominees of this year’s AOTY category seem to be lagging in the campaign race, with many questioning the whereabouts of Table of Men (TOM), an advocacy group that promotes gospel music, and laying the blame on their doorstep.
This year’s Artiste of the Year race has Stonebwoy, King Promise, King Paluta, Black Sherif, and Kweku Smoke with Team Eternity Ghana and Joe Mettle representing the gospel family.
In previous years, TOM had been at the forefront of campaigns for gospel artists in the Artiste of the Year category, but CEO of Media Excel and a member of Table of Men, Kwasi Ernest, says the group is not a PR machine for gospel artists.
In an interview with the Graphic Showbiz on Tuesday, April 15, Kwasi Ernest revealed that TOM only campaigned for gospel artists who approached them and didn’t do it without their consent and collaboration.
“Table of Men is not biased. People have to understand that the group isn’t a PR machine for any gospel artist, so it’s only proper for any artist who got nominations to tell their team to lead the campaign.
“However, if they feel Table of Men has any influence and campaigning for them will strengthen their chances of winning, why not? We are ready to help because we stand for the promotion and well-being of the gospel music industry,” he said.
The TGMAs hit a historic milestone in 2017 when Joe Mettle became the first gospel artist to win the award scheme’s top prize, thanks to a massive campaign by the gospel community led by TOM.
This feat was repeated in 2021 when Diana Hamilton took home the award. However, despite a strong campaign in 2023, gospel artist Piesie Esther lost out to Black Sherif.
And with Team Eternity’s impressive year and strong numbers for Joe Mettle in the year under review this time around, fans are still waiting for a massive campaign for them, but so far, there seems to be no show.
Kwasi Ernest, however, explains, “We can’t just get up and start campaigning for an artist. Besides, we don’t even know the strategy the artists’ management might have adopted, so until we are tasked to support, which we will gladly do, there’s no point blaming us. I think that should be the standard,” he said.
Even though their campaigns have been applauded as a good gesture for the gospel industry, they have also not been well embraced by critics who argue they only go all out for their favorite artists.
When asked if the perception could have influenced their decision to stay quiet this year, Kwasi Ernest disclosed the team was presently on recess to build a better strategy for a formidable industry.
“At the moment, we are on break from advocacy work and looking at initiatives to boost the industry. This includes artistic trainings, vocal seminars, distribution services, marketing, and promotion, among others,” he stated.
