Soraya Opare-Riley is Ghanaian event planner
Event organizer, Soraya Opare-Riley, has stated that one of the major reasons many Ghanaian artistes struggle to break through the international market is because of negative online reputation.
Sharing her thoughts on the matter on GhanaWeb X Space on July 19, 2025, Soraya explained that even when international record labels are interested in a Ghanaian artiste’s music and talent, the negative information written about them online often becomes a major turn-off.
She said that in the music business, first impressions matter, and when foreign music executives search for an artiste online, they expect to see professional achievements, exciting content, and signs of growth. But in the case of many Ghanaian acts, that’s not what shows up.
She explained that this issue makes foreign record labels hesitant to work with Ghanaian artistes because the online negativity creates a bad impression, especially for acts who are still trying to build their name beyond Ghana.
“One of the biggest problems that has impeded a lot of Ghanaian acts when it comes to the international market is their global footprint. When you go to a record label and the record label’s A&R likes your song, likes your talent but when they google you and all they see is negative news. So, they think to themselves, this person is not even positive in their home country. Why would outsiders buy them?” Soraya stated.
Meanwhile, you can watch GhanaWeb TV’s exclusive interview with Arathejay below:
AK/VPO
