Ghanaian songs now have poor lyrics - Nana Kwame Ampadu

Veteran highlife musician Nana Kwame Ampadu has shared his concern and worry over our poor music content and concepts saying Ghanaian songs today have only improved in beat production but critically lack good lyrical content.

In an exclusive interview with ATV on the “Anopa Bosuo” show, the forever young looking singer and composer said our current songs don't change lives because the lyrics can’t be related in one’s life as compared to the 90’s where music lovers could make life choices based on a popular song.

According to him, people should listen to music and get inspired. It should be able to transform or turn a life around. He said people should learn from lyrical contents of music.

“I remember I wrote a song that touched and changed the life of a man of God (pastor) and my songs have continued to change lives. So you see, our songs should have good lyrics that if someone sits to listen to them, it may change him from bad to good or encourage him in whatever situation he may find himself or life challenges he’s been faced with. Today our songs really lack good lyrical content” he stated.

Answering a question as to how we can write good lyrics with life touching story lines in our songs today, he indicated he won’t blame the musicians much because most of them were not exposed to our traditional and cultural teachings. He said at a point in this country, the use of our own mother language became punishable. He said you will go to schools and you will come across big notices like “Don’t speak vernacular” which in a way limited our children from learning the cultural and some historical stories of the land. “During my time, we had Akan books that have stories and certain life lessons in them which have really helped us. But today, people lack these things because of the educational structure. At our time, we learn music in schools but today it is no more,” he disclosed.

In a nut shell, he urged Ghanaians to adapt to good lyrical music. He said we should listen to music that advices the listener and can make greater impact on our lives. He revealed some songs can make you perish and should avoid them.