Gospel singer, Joe Mettle, has disclosed that he was surprised to be nominated for this year’s Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA).

According to the ‘Ye Obua Mi’ singer, he was unaware his manager had filed nominations on his behalf.

Speaking on Daybreak Hitz, Joe Mettle was reacting to comments by some music enthusiasts, who strongly believe he didn’t “deserve” to be nominated.

“I didn’t know that my name had been filed for nomination. My manager filed at my back. That made me surprised. My first reaction was like, oh okay.”

“I’m not the one that makes the selection. I don’t know why the people come after me… You see this word deserve is a very big one.” he said.

He further added that it is the organizers of the award scheme that determine the criteria for artists to be selected, and as such, there is nothing he can do if they consider his works “fit” for the category.

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He, however, believes that contrary to sentiments suggesting he cannot win the category, he can triumph.

“Anyone that is in the category can win. Don’t underestimate anybody. I can win. Anybody else can also win,” he said.

Joseph Oscar Nii Armah Mettle is the first Gospel musician to win VGMA’s Artiste of the Year award in his genre, on April 8, 2017.