Highlife musician Bisa Kdei expressed his disappointment regarding the missed opportunities to promote Ghanaian music during the Year of Return initiative.
In an interview with Accra FM, he emphasized that despite the influx of visitors to the country during these events, foreign music tended to overshadow the local talent. Bisa Kdei stressed that this represented a lost chance to showcase Ghana’s rich music heritage to the world.
“During recent Year of Return events, I don’t think we use them well enough for ourselves. There are instances where foreigners come to experience Ghanaian music but end up listening to other genres.
“We know a lot of people came to Ghana during the Year of Return, but a lot of shows were not playing Ghanaian songs but promoting other genres,” he stated.
Furthermore, Bisa Kdei criticized certain promoters for their negative attitude towards Ghanaian music, noting that their lack of support and encouragement further impeded the growth of the industry. He underscored the importance of positive promotion and investment in the Ghanaian music scene to nurture and uplift local talent.
“You would have some promoters say no, Ghanaian artiste can’t sell the O2 Arena, and they keep downplaying the efforts of the Ghanaian artistes.
“Let’s say good things so that it will encourage others to do their best. Nobody should say our music is not that good because some other artistes come to Ghana and even learn,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Bisa Kdei remains optimistic about the future of Ghanaian music. He is actively working to promote his latest single “Medaase” and believes that with concerted efforts, Ghanaian music can continue to thrive both locally and on the global stage.
