When a song is well produced, it never gets old and renowned Highlife musician Amandzeba can proudly boast of his Wɔgbɛ Dzɛkɛ as one of such songs that has survived the test of time.
Come next year, the versatile singer will be celebrating 25 years of Wɔgbɛ Dzɛkɛ and he says it with all joy because he knows the impact the song has made all these years.
“Through Wɔgbɛ Dzɛkɛ, I have had the opportunity to travel around the world and performed at different festivals. After explaining the lyrics of the song to some white folks, I was invited to lecture at Israel in some Jewish schools and also been to other foreign countries because of this same song”
“Anytime Wɔgbɛ Dzɛkɛ is played, it feels like it was just recorded and that is because of good production. From instrumentation, lyrics, arrangement and all the components that make a good song is in there. I don’t regret spending so much on this production because it is still paying off. Anywhere the song is played, everyone loves it and I feel fulfilled that it belongs to me.
“Next year, Wɔgbɛ Dzɛkɛ will be 25 years and I intend to celebrate it big time because it has chalked a lot of successes. I want to thank Kwame Yeboah for recording such a wonderful piece” he told Daily Graphic in an interview.
Talking about the 25th milestone celebration, Amandzeba said a lot of choir groups and individuals have done renditions of the song and he will give such people the opportunity to perform at a concert he is planning with his team.
“It is going to be very interactive and interesting because I have quite a number of personalities who love Wɔgbɛ Dzɛkɛ to bit. I will also give individuals who want to sing the song the opportunity to do so” he revealed.
Positive music
Amandzeba is all about doing positive music and he says whenever he hits the studio, all he thinks about is projecting Africa first and that has made his songs stand tall.
“Whenever I am writing a song, it is about telling the African story and that makes the song rich and authentic. If I am even writing a love song, I want to use local names like Ama, Akosua and not use an English name. I have songs like Dede, Ama and I am proud of such African names. Great songs are timeless and I am delighted to know that the youth still love Highlife music” he stated.
Has he been celebrated enough?
The Kpanlogo hitmaker does not believe he needs to be celebrated to know that he has made an impact.
“People don’t necessarily have to celebrate you to know that you are doing well. I have had this conviction that I am celebrated when people tell me they love my music. I know I have done great songs and if people praise me for it, it is enough celebration.
“This is a country where Dr Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown after all he did for Ghana. Anything good that comes from this country will not be celebrated well so I take consolations from the fact that I am not doing music to be celebrated.
“So don’t feel bad as a musician that Ghana does not celebrate you. When you believe in yourself and the product you have, people will love you for it”, he pointed out..
Prefers collaborations to featuring
According to Amandzeba, he prefers to do a collaboration than a feature on an artiste’s work because with the former, each artiste on the song gets to express their feelings on the song.
“A lot of musicians have done featurings but they confuse that with collaborations. Collaborations are meant to be interactive and involving so you don’t have to impose your idea on the other. I have done a lot of collaborations with different artistes and not a feature because with featuring, you don’t get to express your thoughts the way you want it” he explained.
Purpose of establishing One Ghana
Amandzeba has a spot called One Ghana located on the Spintex Road and he says his reason is to give opportunity to young artistes to perform live and also project Highlife music.
“Every Friday, is live band and I have had the likes of Nana Fynn, Pat Thomas, Ben Brako, Shasha Marley, TH4 Kwages, Naa Amanua passing through to perform.
We celebrate our musicians every month and other great musicians come in to support. The last person to be celebrated was Highlife musician Jerry Hansen and the place was packed. This is something I have been planning to do for a long time but today, it is happening.
“Whenever I want to perform, I just jump unto the stage and do my own thing. I want to use this opportunity to invite any musician who wants to perform live to pass through. It is a way of polishing up your act and also mastering live band performance if such musicians are not used to it”,he said
The man Amandzeba
Known for other songs including Toffee, Aso, Medo, Kotosa and Deeba, Amandzeba was once married to Highlife singer Akosua Adjepong and they had four children before their separation.
Amandzeba who has won several awards from different organisations has a child with his current wife and two other children from other women.
He describes himself as the link between dead and the living and between the ancient and the modern. “I call myself this because I play ancient songs but give it a modern grove”
Although he was younger than 10 years, Amandzeba knew he would be a great musician and with perseverance and determination, he is one of the best musicians in Ghana.
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