Gospel artiste Grace Ashy
Gospel musician Grace Ashy has said she was insulted and chastised by her fellow gospel musicians for composing cheer songs for the senior national team, the Black Stars.
Grace Ashy has been producing cheer songs for the Black Stars since the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Ghana.
Her cheer songs, over the years, have been used to spur patriotic support for the team ahead of any international game.
Speaking on Ayekoo Ayekoo on Accra100.5FM on Wednesday, 18 December 2019, Grace Ashy recounted that her fellow gospel musicians insulted her for involving herself in the game of football which they considered as a worldly activity, only for them to turn around and compose their own cheer songs for the team years on.
She told show host Nana Romeo: “Until recent times, the Black Stars has always been a good brand. When I started singing cheer songs for the national team, my fellow musicians insulted me and said I was singing for worldly people but honestly speaking, we don’t live in heaven, we all live in this world and, so, whatever we need to do in this world for the country to move forward, I think regardless of your status as a gospel musician, you can do it and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
She continued: “Those who insulted me, after a while, they all made U-turns and started composing cheer songs for the Black Stars”.
Grace Ashy explained that as a gospel musician, “it does not necessarily mean if there’s something in the nation and you can offer your assistance, you exempt yourself, no; don’t do that because the country belongs to all of us. They must know football is not sinful, it’s just a game. So, if the national team is playing and I cheer for them, it rather makes me a good citizen and, so, what is wrong?”
Grace Ashy said she has not stopped composing cheer songs for the national team and will be readily available if she is contracted by the current Ghana Football Association (GFA) to do so.
