Six years ago, singer-songwriter and guitarist Kyei Mensah arrived on the music scene.
Though new, his first single, Nyame Bekyere, showed he had long taken off his training wheels – he sang like a pro, balancing artistic and spiritual responsiveness to bear the weight of the song’s message.
His work was made easier, also, and the success of the project was not much of a surprise given the shoulders he stood on. While the songwriting was handled by the legendary music producer Fred Kyei Mensah (Fredyma) – the singer’s father – and the late Highlife star Kofi B, the record production was done by star Gospel sound engineer Herbert Crassie, alias Oshogbo, and Stanley Adjetey.
In an exclusive interview with Class News’ Prince Benjamin (PB), Tuesday, October 22, 2024, Kyei Mensah saluted the talent who was responsible for his backing vocals – Maadwoa – calling her “an amazing singer” who is “very, very precise” in performance.
Nyame Bekyere, performed in Akan (Twi) invites listeners to reflect on the conversation the biblical Abraham and his son Isaac had while they went up Mount Moriah.
Opening with obvious Country and Blues influences, the track’s message assures that while life is riddled with anxieties, God’s intervention and provision are sure, abundant, and not a moment too soon or late.
Kyei Mensah said “being in the studio and creating the music” was an unforgettable experience as producer Oshogbo “made it very, very easy for me to sing and record” in his popular Music Klinic Recording Studio.
He fondly recalled watching celebrity guitarist Dominic Quarchie of Santrofi, and bassist Gaddiel Amoah of West Coast Abusua play for the Gospel song crafted mostly in Highlife music fashion.
“It was amazing” as everything “came together so well,” the Central University alumnus emphasised.
The serial Ghana Music Awards nominee noted he “battled dehydration” while on set for the music video.
“I had to walk long distances with a Peruvian thing on me – it was like a sweater but it was really, really heavy. I was sweating profusely, dehydrated. It was wild,” he explained.
Considering what the release of the song did for him, Kyei Mensah, 30, certainly has lived the promise of the Nyame Bekyere.
“The song really put me out there – I’d be sitting in a trotro [mini commercial bus] and I’d hear it on the radio and people in the trotro would be singing along to it. I got a lot of events – I ministered and performed at various events – because of Nyame Bekyere. It was great for me,” he highlighted.
On Facebook, the tenor wrote: “Six years ago, I stepped out in faith, releasing my debut single at just 24. Little did I know, God had bigger plans!” He attached a video of him performing the song in his room with just his guitar.
“Songs never die. If your song is good, if you invest in quality music, it’s never going to die. Good music will never die,” Kyei Mensah told PB was the cherished lesson six years on from his debut.
