Edem Goget’em, a Ghanaian artist, has described how an award programme in Ghana asked him to perform for free in exchange for an award and a video shoot.
The ‘Toto’ singer told Joy FM’s Showbiz A to Z host Kwame Dadzie that he lost the position to another musician since he refused the offer.
“There was a year where an award scheme said I should come and do a free performance so that I would win an award and also alongside that they would shoot a video for me. I said ‘no’, and another artiste won the award and they shot the video for him,” he said.
Although he refrained from disclosing the award programme, he did remark on how elements in the music business abuse the system to their advantage.
When asked who got the prize in his place, he said, “It is not my duty to use my platform to promote anybody.”
In terms of other factors holding back the music business, the multifaceted Ghanaian singer stated that people in Ghanaian culture are unduly fond of comparing the tremendous achievements of Ghanaian creatives to individuals outside, constantly attempting to diminish what is Ghanaian.
While most Ghanaians may not relish in their personal achievements, he added that certain individuals in other nations value Ghanaians who have excelled in creative professions.
He described how an American music producer told him how much he admired famed Ghanaian artist Ebo Taylor.
“I was having an open conversation with Swiss Beatz and he said Ebo Taylor was his favourite artiste in the world.
“In the ‘Godfather of Harlem’ series, he even sampled Ebo Taylor’s songs,” Edem explained.
Edem is presently pushing his latest effort, ‘We Don’t Really Care,’ a song about people not caring what others think of them.
