MTN Hit-Maker III finalists named

The judges for the contest are  Bessa Simons, Ofie Kodjoe and Hammer of the Last Two. They said in a statement  this week that  the 12 chosen young artistes had  displayed enough talent to warrant inclusion in this year’s contest.

The lucky 12 are Sam B, Anji, Fameye, Ink (duo), Leety, Mina, Mac-M, Snow B, Torgbui, Papa, Naba and R Tay.

“It was not smooth-sailing for them to get selected. They had to work hard to prove to us that they deserved to be heard by the public this year,” said Bessa Simons.

Sam B, who hails from  the Nadowli District in  the Upper West Region, is a student at Valley View University studying Education. He says he  draws inspiration for music through nature.

Anji  hopes to become one of the finest gospel musicians in the  world. She believes she has a strong voice to wow the Hit-Maker judges and sail through to claim the  Gh¢100,000 grand prize.

Fameye hopes to use the opportunity offered by the MTN Hit-Maker III competition to demonstrate his talent to music lovers in Ghana and beyond.

Ink comprises Isaac and Prince Kwaku. They are both highlife musicians from Kumasi and the group started in 2009.

Leety says he has been singing over the past seven years and is also a piano player, guitarist and producer. He hails from Nima in Accra and claims the locality has helped him  nuture his musical abilities.

According to Mina, she discovered her singing ability in the church and has been singing since the age of five. Her belief is that MTN Hit-Maker III would be won by a gospel artiste.

Mac-M is a rapper who  says harsh life experiences have given him the strength to keep up, show up and deliver to the best of his ability.

Snow B confirms that Samini inspires him a lot. He started writing lyrics in Junior High School and  says he will  blow everybody away with his music and stagecraft in the course of the contest.

Torgbui was born and bred in Liatsi Hohoe in the Volta Region and he is inspired to change the face of Ewe music through his rap lines

Papa says he gets inspiration from highlife musicians like Paapa Yankson, Kofi B and Kwabena Kwabena. A trained accountant, Papa feels strongly that his passion for the kind of music he does is infectious enough to keep his fans entertained each week.

Naba believes music is the best thing that  ever happened to her and she hopes to use the competition to make her family proud.

R Tay says he loves a variety of music including blues, jazz, RnB, rock, reggae, garage, highlife and hiplife. He believes he is  talented  enough to perform all these genres of music very well  on his way to   winning the contest.

An official of MTN said the company was grateful to the judges for the meticulous work done in selecting the 12 finalists.

He hoped a fitting winner would emerge before the end of November.