Popular Ghanaian comedian and show host turned musician, David Oscar Dogbe, has shared a series of life experiences that led to his transition from a visual arts student to a comedian and show host to a musician.
In an interview on Talkertainment with Elsie Lamar on GhanaWeb TV, Dogbe shared how his journey across creative disciplines was driven by his broad understanding of art and his experiences in life.
According to Dogbe, he trained as a visual artist from secondary school, viewing art as a wide umbrella that includes music, acting, painting, and performance.
However, his passion for visual arts collapsed during his final year at Pope John Senior High School after working with cement for a project that involved moulding figures.
“After the project, I started developing sores on my fingers. Later I learned from my teacher that that was because of the cement, which is quite toxic. And then he said, ‘well, you should have used gloves.’ I said, ‘where are they? we don’t have them in the school.’
“So maybe if I had had some gloves to use, I probably would have stayed in the lane of the visual arts. But that thing frustrated me,” he shared.
Following secondary school, Dogbe began searching for a new creative path. He said his interest in performance was sparked by the popular television series Things We Do For Love, which inspired him to explore acting.
This led him to apply to the University of Ghana’s School of Performing Arts.
“When I even applied to the school of performing arts, they were not sure. Because there is no course in Legon for visual artists.
“I said, ‘no, I want to be an artist. I see the elements of arts in me. That’s why I applied to come here.’ So I got into the School of Performing Arts and then I got discovered as a comedian,” he recounted.
However, he noted that emotional burnout and personal challenges eventually made comedy less interesting for him.
“So now at some point, if I’m going through some vibe and I’m not happy, something is affecting me, and I’m not happy. How can I be the same person trying to make another person laugh?
“So after some point I realized that this thing doesn’t excite me like it used to,” he said.
Over time, however, he realised that music was the creative direction he wanted to pursue.
“I didn’t even know that I could do this thing (music) professionally. I could always sing and everything in church, you know, but I never saw myself as like a professional musician. But when my time came, I knew this was the direction I wanted to go,” he said.
Today, David Oscar Dogbe is fully focused on music, having released his first album and several records. He added that music has also opened international opportunities for him, including his first chance to travel abroad.
Watch the video below:
