Ghanaian Dancehall turned Afrobeats star Shatta Wale has opened up about his struggles as a celebrity in Ghana and how he copes with it.
He expressed his desire to be honest and real with people.
Comparing his experiences in Ghana and the UK, Shatta Wale expressed his desire to feel normal when offstage, adding that traveling to places like London allows him to experience such freedom as he can’t move freely in Ghana.
“I think I’m brutally honest; I want to be honest with people; I want to be real with people. When I’m off stage, I want to feel like a normal human so actually coming here to London is giving me that feeling because when I’m in Ghana, I can’t go to places,” he said.
The musician also disclosed how his need to feel normal causes him to respond heavily to critics on social media, as it gives him a sense of being on the streets.
“Sometimes I feel like I want to eat fufu in a chop bar or a public place but I don’t get that and that’s a huge problem for me. So that’s why when people get at me on social media, I just go live and just speak to them like I’m on the street,” he said.
Comparing being a celebrity to being trapped in one’s home, Shatta Wale disclosed that he has to travel around and hold meetings at night due to the disruption he may create if he moves around during the day.
“It’s not easy to be a star; it’s like you’ve bought a yard, you’ve built a whole prison yard and you’ve locked yourself up every time. So people need to understand that it’s not easy for me. Because in Ghana, I can’t drive in the mornings or afternoons. I have to hold all my meetings at night,” he revealed.
Revealing The Greatest Regret In Life
Shatta Wale finally revealed his greatest regret in life is losing the chance to have a career in law.
The self-acclaimed “African Dancehall King” disclosed that despite his success as a multi-award-winning musician, he does not feel completely fulfilled as he couldn’t fulfill his dream career.
He went on to explain that he is still considering the possibility of becoming a lawyer, but he intends to do so when he has earned enough money. He emphasized his desire to pursue a legal career, despite his current success as a musician.
Also, Shatta Wale has built a highly successful career on the Jamaican sound. He has numerous awards under his belt, a huge number of releases, and legions of adoring fans. His fans are so ardent, that in Ghana he moves with a team of security guards.
Shatta Wale is nothing if not a straight-talker and has made a fairly few disparaging comments about Nigerians and their music in the past.
But despite this, he teamed up with Nigerian artists Tekno and Bankuli to come up with his first Afrobeats album. It’s called ‘Konekt’ and it is coming soon. Though the release date is yet to be confirmed, the first single from it, ‘Incoming’, has just been revealed.
“I don’t want to be hard on this journey that I want to pursue. I want to be loving… I want people to really see my fun side, my hilarious moments, and my happiness. I just want people to know that I am happy now and I want to share that with the world,” he said.
“Afrobeats is doing well right now – shout out to Burna [Boy], Wiz[kid], Davido and Tiwa Savage. It’s like I’ve graduated from dance hall. I just want to feed the fans with what is currently happening so they can all enjoy good music,” he revealed.
It remains to be seen whether the devoted Shatta Wale fans will embrace the change or feel betrayed. Though ‘Incoming’ is a good song, Shatta Wale will surely pick up new admirers along the way.
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