The first Ghanaian on NPR’s Tiny Desk was a woman. So was the first Ghanaian to play a solo set at Coachella, and the first woman to beat Sarkodie to Best Rapper at the Ghana Music Awards. Ghana’s women are behind some of the country’s biggest firsts, and in 2026 several of them are running their own labels, publishing deals and charities. Here are 10 Ghanaian female musicians shaping the scene right now.
1. Amaarae: Tiny Desk, Coachella and Black Star
Amaarae, born Ama Serwah Genfi in the Bronx in 1994 and raised between the US and Accra, became the first Ghanaian on NPR’s Tiny Desk in 2023. In April 2025 she became the first Ghanaian artist to play a solo set at Coachella. Her debut album The Angel You Don’t Know (2020) was named Best New Music by Pitchfork, “Sad Girlz Luv Money” with Moliy went global on TikTok, and her third album, Black Star, came out in August 2025.
2. Gyakie: “Forever” and her own label
Gyakie‘s “Forever” topped charts in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, and the 2021 remix with Omah Lay made it a continental hit. She was in the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 class of 2025, her album After Midnight was nominated at the 2026 South African Music Awards, and in October 2026 her label FlipTheMusic signed a distribution partnership with Warner Music Africa. “Your Body (Crazy)” made Apple Music’s Afrobeats Hits: Best of 2026.
3. Eno Barony: the first woman to win Best Rapper
In 2021 Eno Barony beat Sarkodie, Amerado, Medikal, Strongman and Joey B to become the first woman to win Best Rapper at the Ghana Music Awards. She also won Rapper of the Year at the 3Music Awards that year and Best Female Rap Act at AFRIMMA in 2020. Back in 2018, she was the first Ghanaian woman nominated for Best Rapper at a major national awards.
4. Diana Hamilton: Artiste of the Year
On 26 June 2021 the gospel singer Diana Hamilton was named Artiste of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards for “Adom”, taking the top prize of the night. In October 2026 her new song “W’ate Manim” passed 600,000 YouTube views in under three weeks.
5. Efya: four years of Best Female Vocal
Efya won Best Female Vocal Performance at the Ghana Music Awards four years in a row, from 2011 to 2014. She is also the voice other artists call: she sings on Mr Eazi’s “Skin Tight”, Eno Barony’s “God Is a Woman”, Sarkodie’s “Saara” and Khendibeatz’s 2026 single “Move”.
6. Cina Soul: a global publishing deal
In March 2026 Cina Soul signed a global publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing, according to 3Music. Her 2025 album DID I LIE featured Stonebwoy and Sarkodie, and in October she released “Nobody Know Me”, which Apple files under amapiano.
7. Wendy Shay: nurse to queen mother
Wendy Shay trained and worked as a nurse in Germany before RuffTown Records signed her in 2018. “Uber Driver” made her a name overnight, and she has released four albums since 2019. She has also been enstooled as a queen mother in Gomoa Afransi. Her duet with Sarkodie, “This & That”, is listed on Apple Music for 6 November 2026.
8. MzVee: honest about depression
MzVee was New Artiste of the Year in 2015. After a two-year break, she told TV3 in 2020 that she had been dealing with depression, a rare public conversation about mental health from a Ghanaian star. Her 2026 single “Enjoyment” brought together four women from Ghana and Nigeria.
9. Sista Afia: feeding thousands
Sista Afia‘s charity, the Sista Cooks Foundation, has fed thousands of vulnerable children and women across Ghana, and she has publicly urged other musicians to give back. On record she has “Jeje” with Shatta Wale, “Enjoyment” with MzVee and “Balcony” with Medikal, due on 20 November.
10. The support network
Ghana’s women also travel as a network. Moliy rose on “Sad Girlz Luv Money” with Amaarae. Efya helped MzVee through her break. MzVee, Sista Afia and Sefa sang together on “Enjoyment”. Cina Soul has recorded with KiDi, Camidoh and AratheJay. Women in Ghanaian music have been building their own support systems, and it shows.
Where to start
For a quick tour, play “Forever” (Gyakie), “Fear No Man” (Eno Barony), “Adom” (Diana Hamilton), “Sad Girlz Luv Money” (Amaarae), “Best In Me” (Efya) and “Ojorley” (Cina Soul). Six songs, six very different sides of the same story.
