Award-winning Ghanaian musician Black Sherif has opened up about the difficult beginnings of his music career, revealing that he was paid only GH¢50 for his very first stage performance in 2019 before eventually rising to become one of the country’s biggest music stars.
The reigning 2026 Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA) Artiste of the Year shared the emotional story while reflecting on his journey from a young upcoming artiste in Konongo to becoming one of the most celebrated contemporary musicians.
According to Black Sherif, his music career officially began gaining momentum after he relocated to Tema in November 2019 to pursue his dream more seriously.
He explained that at the time, he had only released two songs, “Cry For Me” and “Mariana,” which had started gaining attention in his hometown of Konongo and nearby communities.
“My first performance was somewhere, was it 2019? Yeah, December 2019. I moved to Tema in November 2019. I went back home in December because at that time we had two official songs ‘Cry For Me’ and ‘Mariana’. We were ‘blown’ artistes in our city,” he recounted.
The musician said he and his friends embarked on small promotional tours around Ejisu and surrounding towns as they attempted to build recognition for their music.
Black Sherif disclosed that his breakthrough performance came in Ejisu, where he earned GH¢50 for performing on stage — an amount he now remembers as a significant moment in his life and career.
“I was paid GH¢50 for my first-ever performance in Ejisu in December 2019. I had two songs at the time. The next day, my friends and I went to a hotel to relax in the swimming pool,” he added.
From those humble beginnings, Black Sherif has gone on to become one of the most influential and commercially successful artistes in Ghana and across Africa.
His rapid rise in the music industry has been driven by hit songs such as “Second Sermon,” “Kwaku The Traveller,” “Oil In My Head,” and “Sacrifice,” which have earned him both local and international recognition.
The Konongo-born artiste recently cemented his dominance at the 27th edition of the Telecel Ghana Music Awards held on May 9, 2026, at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre.
At the prestigious awards ceremony, Black Sherif emerged as one of the biggest winners after taking home five major awards, including the coveted Artiste of the Year title.
He also won Songwriter of the Year, Album/EP of the Year for “Iron Boy,” Best Hip Hop Song for “Where Dem Boyz,” and Best Afropop Song for “Sacrifice.
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