Why I Was Jailed: Mzbel Tells Her Story

The ‘16 years’ hit-maker, Mzbel, has revealed to NEWS-ONE the untold story of what actually got her behind bars in July last year after she was accused of assaulting a police officer on duty.

Mzbel has also released what could possibly become her most controversial song and music video ever, ‘Jump On My Bonnet’, to tell the story of what actually happened to her.

The interesting song and must-see-video is so ‘hot’ that some radio stations and a particular television station have declined playing it. It is however making rotations on several other stations.

Mzbel, a very popular musician and actress, told NEWS-ONE that on that fateful day she had the encounter with the police, she was invited to the police station immediately. At the station, they reached an agreement and she was cautioned to be of good behaviour and later released.

The celebrated singer said she was driving home happily when a single off-record conversation she had with a journalist over the incident completely changed the story and ended up getting her behind bars. The sexy songstress said though she was discharged after the caution, the police got infuriated and called her back when they heard her voice on radio telling a journalist of the incident in a way they considered unacceptable and in bad taste.

Mzbel said the conversation she had with the journalist was a purely private discussion so she opened up and went all out to reveal things she would never have said if she was aware the conversation was being recorded for a news item.

The said conversation later found its way into the major news bulletins of some radio stations and according to her, the contents infuriated the police and they called her back because she had said things that were not meant for public consumption.

But the female journalist who did the recording, Doreen Avoi of +Hitz FM, has denied Mzbel’s claims and insisted that their conversation was not a private one because she had told the musician it would be used as a news item. Doreen insisted she informed Mzbel the conversation was being recorded.

“But that is past and I have moved on, my only hurt is that when you do something wrong that lands someone in trouble, you have to admit it and say sorry. But she is insisting she did nothing wrong and it hurts. My problem is with the individual journalist but not any station,” Mzbel noted.

JUMP ON MY BONNET Mzbel spoke to NEWS-ONE about her new video:

NEWS-ONE: When did you do this song?

Mzbel : Actually it was released a few weeks after my incident with the police but my lawyers said I should take it off air because it could trigger some emotions and complicate matters. I tried explaining that I am an artiste and I write music based on stuff that happens around me but he insisted so we took it off completely. But I released it just last week because the issue is now over.

NEWS-ONE: What inspired you to write the song? Mzbel : I write about things that happen around me. I see what happens all the time to drivers and you know what happened to me of course. And this is not just in Ghana but in Nigeria as well so when this happened, I thought I could put it out there.

NEWS-ONE: Is it a critique of the police? Mzbel : No. I was talking about a social issue. I had always wanted to talk about something like that. Honestly, it was something I witnessed in Nigeria and I thought it was funny. That was not about bonnets. It was a policeman asking for bribe on the roads. I had always wanted to sing about that but I was scared that it could get me victimized but after my incident, I gathered the courage to put it out. So it was not just about what happened; the inspiration has always been there.

It is because I did not have a strong media team handling communications for me and when a journalist writes something negative about me, I did not mind because I know people around me know me too well to believe such reports.

I waited for the story to die. But I realized that even when the story dies, it stays on the internet and it stays there. It ends up blocking so many chances because there have been chances and jobs I did not get due to such stories about me on the net.

NEWS-ONE: Are the reports true? Mzbel : Ninety percent are not true. And even when there is one that is true, it has been overly exaggerated and over blown to get out of hand.

NEWS-ONE: Any message to your fans? Mzbel : I would thank them for being there for me and caution them not to believe everything they hear about me. I hate people who tell lies. It messes up everything and I would want my fans to stay out of lies. Let’s all do the right things, stay out of trouble, let those in schools take education serious and patronize my songs. Thanks.