Women face more challenges in the music industry than men – Ola Michael

Entertainment pundit Ola Michael has stated that women in Ghana’s music industry face more challenges compared to their male counterparts.

Speaking on UTV’s United Showbiz on March 15, 2026, Ola Michael explained that the imbalance partly accounts for why there are more successful male musicians than female artistes in the industry.

According to him, female artistes often struggle to build and sustain the kind of rivalry that helps male musicians grow their fanbases.

“Women are at a disadvantage in the industry. It’s also the reason why men are more than women. Women are unable to sustain that rivalry that creates the fanbase they want between them,” he said.

He noted that the fanbases of female artistes are often not strong enough to reach the level where healthy competition can help elevate their careers.

“Their fanbase is also not too strong to even get into that rivalry stage where it keeps increasing and keeps at the level that the men have,” he stated.

Ola Michael cited the example of dancehall artistes Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy, stating that their success is partly due to the strong fanbases they command.

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“Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy are where they are probably because they have a certain fanbase that they are very active and supportive,” he shared.

He stressed that for a woman to reach the same level in Ghana’s music industry, she would have to work significantly harder than a man.

“For a woman or a lady in the Ghana music industry to get to that level, you need to work harder than a man. They don’t get help, and that’s the truth,” he said.

Using Ghanaian singer Sefa as an example, he explained that female artistes sometimes face additional challenges when it comes to studio work and professional commitments.

“If Sefa wants to record her EP, she has to probably record at 2 a.m. in the studio. She might have a boyfriend or a husband, so do you think her partner would allow her to be at the studio at that time?” he questioned.

He added that in many situations, partners of female artistes may feel uncomfortable with them working late hours in studios dominated by men.

“While the man knows she would be working with only men. In most cases, the partners would have to be at the studio with the artistes,” he added.

FG/EB

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