Story by Bless Alormasor
11-09-2026
R2Bees climaxed the 27th edition of the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA) with what many pundits and music lovers describe as a show-stopping performance. Hits after hits, the crowd sang along and asked for more.
The supremely talented Mugeez, switched his melodies; sweeping and graceful like a Strauss waltz and then sometimes, to something slow and majestic like Finlandia. Omar Sterling complemented with his signature story-telling rhythmic African poetry, filled with wordplays, simlies and double entendres.
But were R2BEES the best performers of the night?
Hits for hits, R2Bees is arguably the greatest Ghanaian music group and the most accomplished. However, they have been as the receiving end of heavy criticisms for their stage performances over the years. People have often spoken against the lack of synergy whenever the duo are on stage. The absence of energy in their craft is also noteworthy.
Why then did people enjoy their performance so much last night despite criticising them heavily in the past for their unenthusiastic showings?
Rosy Retrospection or Nostalgia bias! It refers to our tendency to recall the past more fondly than the present.
Every generation romanticises the music of its youth. We often compare the current crop of musicians to the older generations, and arrive at the conclusion that lyricism has spiralled down, production these days are quick and inferior, music quality has generally reduced. In 15 years to come, say by 2040, this current generation will look back to the 2020s and pass the same verdict on the musicians who would’ve taken over the scene by that time. They’ll say music from Black Sherif, Kidi, Kuami Eugene, Arathejay etc are far superior to what will take over the airwaves and streaming platforms within that period.
R2Bees gave us something different to listen to last night. They took us back to the 2010s, when radio and tv stations were replete with monster hit records like Walaahi, Kiss Your Hand, Slow Down, Ajeii, Odo, Over, etc. These are not songs we hear often these days. We missed them, so we couldn’t help but sing along. Nobody cared again about stage craft. That is nostalgia bias! Organisers of the event know this, they have been exploiting it, and it has always worked!
Samini performed on the night too, but his performance was not met with the same applause as R2Bees despite being revered as one of Ghana’s greatest live performers. Do you think that would have been the case if he sang classics like Linda, Odo, Gyae Hye, Sweet Mistake, Time Bomb etc. instead of the new ones he performed from his recently released Origin 8 album?
In 15 years to come, when Kidi, Black Sherif, Kuami Eugene et al are not the hottest artistes again, this generation will look at things from this same perspective we’re seeing now.