Only Musicians Who Sing In Twi, Pidgin Get Support From Media —Jupitar Laments
Jupitar expressed his opinion on the state of Ghana’s music industry and how certain musicians are receiving support based on their tribe.
He firmly believes that many talented musicians are not receiving the recognition they deserve simply because they cannot sing in Twi, which is Ghana’s most widely spoken language.
During an interview on The Uncut with D-Black, Jupitar revealed that he knows several musicians from the North who possess exceptional singing abilities. However, when these musicians travel to Accra, they struggle to gain even five streams.
Jupitar attributed this to the fact that radio and television stations in Ghana predominantly promote songs in Twi, neglecting other languages.
To illustrate his point, Jupitar mentioned Fancy Gadam, who is fluent in his local dialect but had to sing in a different language for his song Total Cheat featuring Sarkodie to receive promotion and be heard. This highlights the limitations faced by musicians who do not sing in Twi.
“Most of our radio stations in our media space have chosen one particular language that they will promote. There is a very good rapper in the north who raps in Dagati or Sisala. But he can’t fluently speak Twi or pidgin…if you take that music to Accra. It won’t get up to two airplays,” he said.
Jupitar based his argument on the prosperity of the Nigerian music industry both within Africa and globally, emphasizing their inclusive approach towards music sung in indigenous languages.
He illustrated by mentioning renowned Nigerian musicians like Asake, Phyno, and Focalistic, who confidently sing in their local dialects without facing any form of belittlement within the Nigerian showbiz scene.
“Take Nigeria for example, look at artists like Focalistic, Phyno, Asake. They all make songs in their native language. But yet they play these songs and they jam to it. So our creative space shouldn’t limit songs to one language,” he concluded.
