Don't make singles for yourself; give the masses what they want – Kuami Eugene to artistes

Ghanaian highlife and Afrobeats musician Kuami Eugene has shared his philosophy on making hit songs, explaining that artistes must prioritise the musical preferences of their audience rather than focusing solely on what they personally enjoy.

Speaking in an interview on Pluzz FM on November 10, 2026, the award-winning musician disclosed that one of the first rules of producing a hit song is understanding that singles are not necessarily meant to satisfy the artiste but rather appeal to the masses.

According to Kuami Eugene, musicians who concentrate on making singles purely for themselves often end up producing songs that they and people with similar tastes enjoy, instead of creating music with wider appeal.

"First rule of making a hit song: You don't make singles for yourself as an artiste. When you focus on making singles for yourself, you will make music that you enjoy and that people like you will also enjoy. The singles are not for you. Just put the songs you know you will enjoy on albums," he stated.

He further explained that artistes now have the opportunity to release albums containing several songs, sometimes ranging from one to about 20 tracks, giving them the freedom to explore their personal musical interests alongside songs designed for a wider audience.

“Now we have the luxury of doing as many as you can, maybe from 1 to about 20 songs,” he said.

Kuami Eugene also stressed that an artiste's image, fashion sense or personal aura should not prevent them from producing songs that ordinary music lovers can relate to.

‘I'm praying to reach Shatta Wale's level’ – Kuami Eugene

Using himself as an example, he said he could dress elegantly and maintain a cool public image but still record songs featuring familiar Ghanaian food and cultural references such as "wele", "sebe" and "kontomire" if that was what would connect with listeners.

"I may act cool and put on my best clothes and still come and sing 'wele, sebe, kontomire' because it's not about my aura. How many people can jump on this? How many people are going to relate to this? Because I need a party song and a fun song," he explained.

The musician also pointed out that music serves different purposes, noting that after listening to emotional songs with deep lyrical content from artistes such as Sarkodie, listeners may want something upbeat to dance and enjoy themselves.

He believes that having different musical options allows artistes to cater to different moods and occasions.

"After you cry with the deep lyrics that you've heard from Sarkodie and you want to party, there's a Kuami Eugene party song you can also play," he shared.

Kuami Eugene also emphasised that musicians must pay close attention to the demands of their target audience and create songs that reflect what listeners want to hear.

"You look at the masses and pay attention to what they want to hear, then you give it to them," he added.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by PLUZZ89.9FM (@pluzz899fm)

FG/EB

Inside Ghana's Human Trafficking Network: How the Operations Work