Strategic efforts will take Ghanaian music global— Lali X Lola

In recent times, there have been lots of discussions about how Ghanaian music can command attention on the global stage, like has happened with other African countries, especially Nigeria.

While some industry stakeholders believe there is too much focus on going global to the detriment of growing the industry, others believe it will happen in a matter of time and there is no need to rush it.

For Afrobeats/Afrofusion music duo, Lali X Lola (Lali and Lola), there is the need to take deliberate action and be strategic if Ghanaian music is to become a global sensation.

“From my observation so far, there is support but more can be done. For example, the music industry can support the movie industry and vice versa. This will enable us to grow as an industry in Ghana.

“Also, we musicians have to make a conscious effort to invest in our craft, create quality music, package our brand and sound to drive it to the international market,” Lola, one half of the duo, told the Daily Graphic in a recent interview.

Lali, the other member, added, “The stakeholders in the entertainment industry should focus more on developing Ghanaian creatives. They should support, invest and create training programmes to aid Ghanaian creatives to learn how to transform their craft into a business in order to generate income. This can go a long way to improve the economy as a whole.”

“At the end of the day, we are in the industry and it is our job to develop it to its optimal potential. We have to take Ghana to the world with our culture and our sound.

“The plan should be global domination; everything we do must be with this aim. If each and everyone gets this purpose, together we will win. But if we all have different aims, it will be difficult to achieve this goal,” the duo believes.

Lack of support

Like many players in the industry have pointed out, Lola also indicated that there wasn’t enough support for up-and-coming artistes.

“Support from people in the industry is key to up-and-coming artistes, but this is extremely hard. At times, people in the industry are more focused on what other countries are doing rather than their own people,” she stated.

Lola also added that limiting Ghanaian creatives to just Ghana was a major red flag. “Only a few people in the industry understand the importance of developing creatives from Ghana and we wish this mentality will spread across the minds of people in the entertainment industry,” she said.

‘Entertainment scholars’

Lali X Lola, who took up music seriously last year and currently split their time between Ghana and the UK, told the Daily Graphic that they considered themselves ‘entertainment scholars’.

“We believe education is equally important in everything, so as we are perfecting our creative side, we are ticking all the boxes academically too. We believe that with the right support, people can achieve their artistic dreams without sacrificing their education,” Lola noted.

Sharing their take on the music industry, Lali said, “Based on our experience so far, we honestly believe there is so much untapped talent in the industry, especially among females in Ghana.

“The industry has to do more to help the up-and-coming artistes. There should be a clear goal on where we want the industry to be and we must come together as a team to make the dream work. We believe working as a team is the only way to mould our industry into gold,” she added

Writers email: delali.sika@graphic.com.gh.