Ghanaian highlife musician and songwriter Akwaboah revealed that most of the songs he wrote for other artistes at the beginning of his career were for free.
In an interview on Daybreak Hitz with DJ Slim, Akwaboah disclosed that he composed Becca’s popular song “Daa Ke Daa” without expecting payment.
“I wrote ‘Daa Ke Daa’ by Becca for free, I didn’t know anything about payment at that time,” he stated.
According to Akwaboah, he reveled in seeing the song become a hit and played on TV or radio. As a young, upcoming artiste at the time, he was also happy that his contribution to Becca’s song would give him some exposure and mileage.
Apart from Becca, Akwaboah has written songs for artistes such as Efya, Kofi Sarpong, and Sarkodie, among others.
Akwaboah also opened up about his Christian background and how it influences his music. As a choir master and keyboardist at his church for almost 24 years, Akwaboah emphasized that his gift lies in writing love songs.
“I do love songs. I’m still the same keyboardist, the same choir master, but my gift is writing love songs. I don’t miss choir rehearsal,” he said.
Akwaboah acknowledged that while he leads the choir at his church, his music is not strictly gospel.
“Most of my songs are not gospel, they are love-related. I’m still doing the Lord’s work in a diverse way, different, but I might not be a gospel artiste,” he explained.
This highlights the social stigmatization musicians face as people try to involve their spiritual life in the business world of music.