I did not want KiDi on my 'Ohemaa' song - Kuami Eugene
Ghanaian highlife star Kuami Eugene has revealed that he was initially opposed to featuring fellow musician KiDi on his beloved 2019 hit "Ohemaa," a song now widely regarded as one of Ghana's modern highlife classics.
The candid admission, made during an interview with Headless YouTuber, has set social media buzzing, reigniting conversations about the beloved track and the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the Ghanaian music industry.
According to Kuami Eugene, the decision to bring KiDi onto "Ohemaa" was not his own. He says his record label pushed for the feature despite his strong objections, leaving him with little choice but to comply.
"Sometime ago, we were at the studio having a conversation, and then they said I need to put KiDi on Ohemaa, and I said I won't do it. I don't want to have KiDi on Ohemaa, and the label says it's needed; I have to do it. So I had to do it," he recalled.
The "Rockstar" hitmaker went further, telling the label upfront that he intended to be transparent about his reservations in public, a warning they apparently did not take seriously enough.
True to his word, when Kuami Eugene sat down for an interview, his reluctance toward the collaboration was the very first thing he disclosed. The revelation caught his label off guard and prompted an immediate public relations response.
"I remember telling them that if I go for an interview, I will go and say I didn't want to put KiDi on Ohemaa. They jokingly said I should go and say it, and when I went, that was the first thing I said. And they were like 'eii', so we had to do damage control quickly and post KiDi and me together to cover it quickly," he disclosed.
The swift move to post photos of both artistes together was clearly aimed at cushioning any potential fallout between the two labelmates and preserving the public's perception of the collaboration.
Importantly, Kuami Eugene was quick to clarify that his resistance was unrelated to any animosity toward KiDi. Rather, it came from a deep sense of artistic ownership and satisfaction with what he had already created.
"I didn't want to put KiDi on Ohemaa because I did the entire verse, and it was a complete, beautiful song. I didn't want any touch on it," he explained.
It is a sentiment that speaks to the mindset of an artiste who takes immense pride in his craft, one who views his songs as complete works rather than canvases open to outside contribution.
The "Monica" hitmaker also used the moment to shed light on his broader approach to music-making, admitting that collaborations are simply not his natural preference. He pointed to his extensive catalog as proof of a deeply personal, solo-driven creative process.
"I actually find it very difficult to feature. If you check, Gyakie is the first female artiste I have featured, aside from MzVee, and it's been almost 10 years. I don't like features. Check all my hit songs, it's just me. Most of the songs I cook them in my bed. I wake up at dawn, have my laptop with a headset, and cook the song," he maintained.
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