Award-winning Ghanaian Afrobeats singer cum dancer Andrew Nii Commey Otoo, popularly known by his stage name Mr Drew has disclosed the challenges he faced during his time with Kaywa’s Highly Spiritual Music.
According to the ‘S3k3’ hitmaker, the period was marked by both hardship and eventual success.
He made these revelations during an interview with Giovanni Caleb and AJ Sarpong on 3FM as he shed light on his journey to stardom
“Things under the record label was on and off. It wasn’t normal but it was manageable. I quite remember Papa Kaywa coming to speak that at a point in time, I was even trying to sell my car, so that should give you a fair idea of how bad things were. That was before the hit songs came, after that, it got better but things got better but it still wasn’t there. It was manageable,” he recalled.
Discussing his departure from Highly Spiritual, Mr. Drew explained that there were no lingering conflicts leading up to his exit.
Instead, it was a mutual decision that was arrived at with understanding and respect.
“My contract ended so I managed to not leave just like that. I managed to end my contract. It was a mutual thing, everybody understood and moved forward,” he revealed.
However, perhaps the most striking aspect of the interview was Mr. Drew’s reiterated commitment to leaving his share of royalties to Highly Spiritual—a gesture of appreciation and a rare act in the music industry.
As he had previously stated, he reaffirmed that he is leaving behind the past royalties earned from his successful songs with the label.
“Leaving the royalties with Highly Spiritual was me saying thank you [to Kaywa] for everything and then I’d leave it at that,” he shared.