Bessa Simons is the President of MUSIGA
The Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) President and veteran Highlife musician, Bessa Simons, has said Ghanaian youth are losing interest in Highlife music.
In an interview with Graphic Showbiz, Bessa Simons noted that while artistes of today are talented and creative, many have drifted from the authentic sounds, rhythms, and storytelling that originally defined Highlife.
He explained that this shift has resulted in a drop in the genre’s popularity, as most young people now lean toward styles like Afrobeats and Amapiano.
Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, and Kofi Kinaata should work with younger artistes – Bessa Simons
According to him, this disconnection poses a threat to the survival of Highlife if deliberate action is not taken to restore the youth’s interest in the genre.
“Highlife should be getting special attention. We have to work hard to make the youth believe in it again,” he said.
He pointed out that the lack of enthusiasm is partly due to the negative narratives surrounding Highlife musicians, which have discouraged many young artistes from exploring the genre.
“Many have withdrawn because we don’t speak positively about Highlife artistes. Yet, every type of Ghanaian music today carries elements of Highlife. The problem is that the new songs lack the core ingredients that gave traditional Highlife its soul,” he stressed.
Bessa Simons also admitted that the decline of the genre was not solely the fault of the younger generation.
He explained that many of the early pioneers of Highlife, which he is a part of, stopped recording too soon, which created a creative gap and deprived emerging artistes of role models to learn from.
“The older guys stopped recording too early, and I include myself in that. If we had continued releasing music, there would be more authentic Highlife around for the younger generation to learn from. The kids are trying, but they’re missing a lot of the true Highlife essence,” he added.
He also called for proper documentation of the genre’s history, training programmes for young musicians, and public sensitisation to keep Highlife alive.
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