For Barima Sidney, Highlife is the unshakable pillar of the Ghanaian music industry, a genre, he said, would never die with time.
Speaking to GhanaWeb’s Isaac Dadzie at the final funeral rites of veteran Highlife musician Dada KD, held at the State House, Sidney, explained that Highlife will not die even if it does not dominate the airwaves like before.
“Well, I think as they say Highlife never dies. Probably we’re not having more Highlife like we used to have, but then trust me, even the young ones coming up, they all know Highlife is a pillar,” he said.
I’m open to composing songs, performing for political parties – Barima Sidney
According to the highlife legend, the decline in visibility of the genre is due to the attitude of some of the musicians who once championed it.
Sidney noted, many of them, have gone quiet and are not actively pushing the sound. He mentioned that this has created the impression that Highlife has been sidelined.
He urged Highlife musicians, especially the older generation, to embrace modern tools like social media to revive the music’s presence and connect with younger audiences.
Legendary musician Barima Sidney apologises to John Mahama
“I think it depends on how we are also doing because most of us, we laid back. We’re in an era of social media and all that, but then most of us laid back, not forgetting that you can’t just stay behind and be up there. I think the Highlife artistes, it’s time for them to come out, be on social media, I mean let people know this still exists. I think we’ll go for it,” he advised.
Away from the music conversation, Barima Sidney also looked back on his memories with the late Dada KD.
He described him as a man with depth and conviction, someone whose thoughts and principles were not always easily understood unless one was equally deep-minded.
“He’s very deep on issues, you always have his own line of thought and all that, and I really respect him for that. And he is the type who wouldn’t stand for you to be cheated. He always fights, even if not for himself, for somebody,” Barima Sydney said.
AK/EB
