'Ignore clout-chasing Lady Prempeh' - Esther Smith's team

Esther Smith's team has reacted to accusations of sabotage levelled against Esther Smith by fellow Gospel star Lady Prempeh.

According to a September 1 video Lady Prempeh put up on Facebook, she and her team agreed to make an appearance and perform for the recent two-city Esther Smith Live in Concert 2024 event only to be sidelined by the organisers.

"This is the very first time I'm doing this but this needs to be addressed," she said to open the video.

"I'm overwhelmed by questions. My fans and others are asking why I was there at the event on Friday but did not sing."

Lady Prempeh informed her viewers that "five months back," she was phoned and told by Esther Smith she would be coming to Ghana to host "a programme in Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi and she'd need me for all three shows".

"Three weeks ago," she continued, her team was informed, "due to the large number of performers, we should choose one city to perform at, so I chose Accra because it was going to be convenient or helpful".

Lady Prempeh accused Esther Smith's team of being dodgy about rehearsal times, and "never gave us a date" till "dress rehearsals on the day of the event, Friday" August 30.

"Somewhere between 12 Noon and 2 PM, I was there at the dress rehearsals at Perez Dome, even though early in the morning, one of the performers, I cannot name them here, had contacted me saying they observed my image and name were not part of the ad for the event," she went on.

"A week before [the event], they spoke to my manager and asked us to come for the dress rehearsal so, to me, that meant I was part of [the programme] and the reported omission was an unintended slip."

Lady Prempeh said she left for home after the rehearsals and went back to the Perez Chapel International's Perez Dome, Dzorwulu, Accra, to be part of the occasion.

"I sat at the event in expectation but the only time they called me up to the stage was when they were tearing down the setup after the event. So I wasn't called to perform on the day," the singer said, stressing: "This is exactly what happened on the day."

She apologised to her fans, noting it was not customary of her to disappoint them after advertising a performance.

"And till now, as I am recording this video, I've not heard from Esther Smith, her manager or her team," Lady Prempeh grieved in conclusion.

Music producer and sound engineer Roro Buddy, who in a social media video identified himself as "a brother and management member for Esther Smith," responded on September 4.

He rubbished Lady Prempeh's allegations of "being snubbed" though booked for the said event by Esther Smith.

"Initially, we didn't want to talk about this thing but the video has circulated widely and a lot of people, including elders, are calling so I decided to share our part so everyone knows what really happened," he noted.

The legendary record producer chuckled in realisation Lady Prempeh was getting what she sought from the controversy, which is "getting into the trends because she's been away for a while now and she has some projects coming out".

"We had a meeting with her and her manager Dave Joy, we spoke on the phone," Roro said, confirming Lady Prempeh "came for the dress rehearsal on the day of the concert".

Noting he did not want to get into too many details, he said they had learned from the Kumasi edition of the concert, per feedback about closing late, and so aimed "to close early for the Accra edition" given the number of musicians on the bill.

Roro said he "personally sent every singer's time slot to them," with Lady Prempeh's being, "I think, around 6:37 PM". However, "maybe just to create this ongoing controversy, she was late but when she arrived, she came to tell us an okada rider who was to bring her stuff was late".

"Keeping it short," he added, "Lady Prempeh was about three hours late per the time she was to perform and we couldn't wait so we just skipped... And she came when Esther Smith was going on stage. That was the last performance. That's why she couldn't perform."

Roro noted "Kweku Teye was also late and so could not perform. However, he came to apologise, sat down and enjoyed the concert."

After the concert, he said, Lady Prempeh's team asked for an apology but they declined, noting: "She rather has to apologise to us."

"And Dave Joy was bold enough to tell me we should try and solve the issue on the radio. Listen carefully. They wanted this taken to the radio. So I'm not surprised Lady Prempeh recorded her video and tagged about 15 to 17 bloggers just to go viral," Roro revealed. "This is what happened."

He emphasised the Esther Smith team did not "deliberately" sideline or disrespect anyone.

Roro acknowledged Lady Prempeh's talent and years in the industry but rebuked her for using such a questionable "approach".

Comparatively, "Esther Smith was [away] for 10 to 12 years but when she returned, she did not use negative publicity. We did what we had to do and God lifted his hand and gave us a successful concert," he noted. "Esther Smith's brand does not have any needless controversy attached to it. We're Christians."