Abrantie Amakye Dede
Veteran Ghanaian highlife musician, Abrantie Amakye Dede, has called on music industry players to preserve, develop, promote and protect highlife as a genre that represents the national identity.
According to him, highlife is a genre that reflects the true identity of Ghanaians.
Amakye Dede, who is billed to perform in London (Dominion Centre) on June 24, 2023, mentioned that highlife is a part of Ghanaian music and it is important to ensure it stays alive for long.
He claims that highlife has the ability to promote Ghanaian music abroad, and that Ghanaians should embrace the genre despite the emergence of other genres like afrobeat and afropop, among others.
The musician hopes that his fellow musicians, both young and old, would continue to play highlife music, especially now that Nigeria is a global leader in afrobeats.
He added that one of the reasons highlife is waning in popularity is the absence of a coordinated plan by Ghanaian music industry players to advance the genre.
He emphasised that while many do not feel that Ghanaian music has a bright future in the international market, he is confident that with continued effort, Ghanaian music and its artistes would flourish.
He revealed that he is now working on a new song, which he featured Sarkodie.
Since his entry into the Ghanaian music industry over four decades ago, Amakye Dede has won the hearts of many music lovers in the country.
He is credited with a number of songs such as ‘Handkerchief,’ ‘Seniwa,’ ‘Brebrebe Yi,’ ‘Mensuro,’ ‘Mabre,’ ‘Broken Promises,’ ‘Nsuo Amuna,’ ‘Sokoo Na Mmaa Pe,’ ‘To Be A Man Na War,’ ‘Iron Boy,’ among others.
He has over 30 albums to his credit and has experimented with different genres; soca, calypso, lovers rock, and pop music.
By George Clifford Owusu