Ghanaian highlife legend, George Jahraa, has opened up about how dissatisfied he is about the support he has received from the Ghanaian music industry over the years.
According to him, he has not received the recognition he truly deserves from Ghanaian music consumers and the entire industry.
Speaking to JoyNews’ Nicholas Ekow Yamoah, the veteran musician stated that, despite the enduring popularity of his hit songs, which have remained relevant for over 20 years, more can be done to acknowledge his contributions to the music industry but it’s not being done.
“To be honest with you, I have not been celebrated enough. I started with most of the big guns and even some, I started before them but it looks like before you can be a big artiste, you need to start from abroad and even if you start from Ghana, no matter what you do, Ghanaians abroad don’t recognise you”.
“In my personal opinion, I have not been recognised enough. I have been underrated. You can go online, what people do with Ashikele after 20 years, I have been underrated,” he added.
He also criticized the government for neglecting the music industry, pointing to Mali as an example country where the government actively supports and promotes its musicians.
“If you take a look at other West African countries, I can cite Mali because I have been there for sometime, I have been in and out for a long time. The Malian government takes special interest in their music, but if you come to Ghana? It looks like governments don’t show any interest in our music industry and anytime you criticize them, they take it so personal so I think the govt should get involved,” the highlife musician indicated.
George Jahraa has been in the music industry for more than 30 years with hit songs like Driver Banza, Zanu Kade, Srade Nam, Ashikele, and many others.
