Ghanaian gospel artiste, Celestine Donkor, known for her soulful voice and uplifting gospel music, has shared some insights into her life as a musician and a mother at the just-ended Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Xperience Concert in Ho in the Volta Region.
Speaking in an interview, she cited the fact that, despite not being at home with her kids all the time, they had grown accustomed to her absence with the help of their caretaker.
She said:
“It’s actually easier now because my kids are grown up. My first daughter is sixteen, and so they are able to manage, but we do have a caretaker who takes care of them”.
Celestine Donkor
She went on to explain how having her husband as her manager has also made things easier for her.
The hitmaker added:
“I just came back from London yesterday, jumped on a flight to Kumasi, and from Kumasi to here, but it’s easier when I am on the road with my husband, who is also my manager. He understands that we are together, so it makes things easier”.
Celestine Donkor
Sharing a little advice with up-and-coming acts, Celestine believes that patience and perseverance are keys to achieving success.
She advised:
“I will say that God’s time is the best time. Don’t just give up; sometimes you may be singing so well and nobody knows you. You sing on the stage and nobody sings along, we’ve been there before, but God’s timing, it has a way of launching you”.
Celestine Donkor
She also encourages aspiring musicians to stay committed to their craft and to continue practicing.
She shared:
“So being committed to church music and keep being committed to the choir. That’s where you get the dream, the practice, and the experience. When the time is up, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing can cover you”.
Celestine Donkor
I wanted a man with a hairy chest
For most people, having certain desired qualities in their ideal spouses is a big deal; a situation gospel musician Celestine Donkor found herself in before she got married.
In a book she has authored with her husband Kofi Donkor, ‘Beyond the Rhythm’, Celestine indicates that prior to her marriage, she had always fancied having a husband who had hair on his chest.
Unfortunately for her, the man she got married to, who is also her manager, does not have that feature.
She said because of that, her husband was provoked to start using hair growth creams on his chest but to no avail.
She, however, noted that anytime she thinks about it, it fascinates her because there are more important attributes she has discovered in her husband than just chest hair.
She wrote:
“I told him I wanted someone I could confidently go to places with. Someone with a hairy chest. Laughs! I wanted my ideal man. But guess what? My man has zero hair so he resorted to buying a hair growth cream and began applying it religiously to grow his chest.
“I laugh when I think about it even today. All the same, more importantly, I was on fire for God and I had matured so much in Him that meeting someone like my husband who was that interested in my spiritual welfare and growth meant everything to me. That was the biggest attraction for me”.
Celestine Donkor
The book, ‘Beyond the Rhythm’, also recounts how Celestine got connected to Kofi who was then in Korea. They started dating and agreed on marriage before they even met for the first time.
Kofi Donkor is currently the manager of Celestine Donkor and they are blessed with three children.