Too many music talents hypnotised by Afrobeat popularity - David Bolton bemoans

Artiste and music producer, David Bolton, has expressed displeasure on how the dominance and popularity of popular mainstream music, Afrobeat, is killing out talents.

Speaking on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, the ‘Odo Foforo’ singer explained, music genres like traditional highlife which have not been receiving airplay are dying out of the system and artistes are forced to do Afrobeat for the popularity.

“If you are doing traditional highlife, who is going to play your song on the radio now? It has to be some dancehall, some Afropop kind of thing, otherwise, you are not going to see the light of day,” he stated

He explained the love for popularity in the country is not helping in the promotion of authentic Ghanaian music.

His cries come after the video of Ghanaian band, Kyekeyeku and Ghanalogue, performing Highlife music in Spain at the Vis-a-vis festival surfaces.

Read: Spanish hosts dance to highlife songs by Kyekyeku & Ghanalogue band

“Mark Okraku, President of the Creative Arts Council, was saying he did not know the band until the audition that got them on the vis-a-vis stage,” David said,

These are people who do authentic Ghanaian music but are hardly known in their own country, he added.

DKB, as he is affectionally called, stated the current trend is making music and music lovers in Ghana narrowminded when it comes to what good music is.

Ghana has so much “world-class talent” but unfortunately, they are hiding under the umbrella of Afrobeat and Dancehall, he added.

“Look at Wiyaala! If you listen to the richness of her music, it’s no wonder she is making it out of the country and touring all over Europe. all the time. But in her hometown a lot of people don’t know her music except for a few that were popular,” he stated.

Radio stations, producers and other gatekeeps DKB urged, should help in the expansion of real highlife music to Ghanaians and to the world.

“Because Ghanaians will love what you give them if you are doing one type of music, that’s all they are going to know.”

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