KOJO KRITICAL BOUNCES BACK AS KOJO KAWNSELA, WITH HIS NEW EP COMING SOON
Kojo Kawnsela, formerly known as Kojo Kritical who went into musical hibernation since 2019, has finally popped out of the deep and announces a great launch back into the music scene, with yet a stream of ground-shaking tunes.
Reflections
A former teacher and media personality in the Western Region of Ghana, Kojo Kawnsela released his debut (The Broken Mirror) album of 10 tracks in 2015 featuring great minds including Kissi Kantios, Afedzi Perry, Singlet, Sane Dogg among others.
He followed it up in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 with singles titled No More War, My Everything Juliana, A Letter to Nana President and Inspector Kwame respectively. Kojo Kawnsela’s video for My Everything Juliana track on which he featured Cerrio and Lady Louisa, won him the Best Music Video of the year during the Nzema Showbiz Awards in 2017.
Why the Long Break
When our team enquired to know why the long break from the music scene after relatively emboldening himself on the heart and minds of music lovers, Kojo responds:
“ Several factors. One of them was security. The reactions from certain quarters following the release of ‘A Letter to Nana President’ in 2017, put my life and that of my family in danger, even at the local level, ensuring that the message of the Letter never gets to the national level. I needed to be cautious. Secondly, I needed to focus on my job. You know, music is not my full time yet. I’m a full time corporate person and when the music was becoming too demanding on my time, coupled with my further studies, I had to tame the hobby down. However, music is like the blood that flows in me so I just can’t stop it entirely while living. I’ve been in the studios with the least time one could get, hence a lot of music have been cooked for the serving.
Partisan and Controversial Songs
Kojo is criticized by many as partisan and controversial, mainly due to his “Letter to Nana President” in 2017, in which he cautions His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffu Addo to be mindful of his promises and thus fulfill them. This is what he says about that. “Oh I’m not partisan with my music. And am not controversial. Am only factual and critical. Those who think my song, A Letter to Nana President was written to please the biggest opposition party in Ghana (NDC), are not in tune with my past. They just met me on the way without caring to know where has been my origin. As a patriotic citizen, I admit some of my tracks are directed at correcting political inadequacies, but that should not be misinterpreted as being partisan. I pay tax as a citizen, hence entitled to crying out my mind in the best way (as musically as I can), whenever things go wrong for the masses of electorates or taxpayer. The Letter to Nana President was just the other side of the coin, a track titled ‘ASEM B3BA’ (Danger Looms). Those who care to know, should serve themselves a little plate of history. I sung As3M B3ba on my first album in 2015, lashing out and warning the then ruling NDC government to change its inadequacies before the wrath of the masses becomes unleashed in the then impending 2016 General Elections. Yet on the same album, I released ELECTION TIME, which paints the character of corrupt and cunning politicians who take the voters for a ride”.
All these tracks and others, could be juxtaposed with the Letter to Nana President, so that the artiste’s partisanship or otherwise could be verified. Yet the Ghanaian supporter of either the NPP or NDC, is unfortunately allergic to the truth, and will rather conveniently jump to the conclusion that an art-piece is for their counterpart, once the artiste refuses to use his/her medium to advance the politician’s course. In the mind of the Ghanaian politician, nobody should be non-aligned, and nobody should be factual but always partisan; and that’s the bane of our country Ghana.”
What’s New
Metamorphosing from Kojo Kritical to Kojo Kawnsela, according to the maverick lyricist “means a higher level of maturity, counselling with the message- the truth, instead of just criticizing”.
What should the Ghanaian music lover expect with your comeback? “Musically, inform Ghana and the world to be ready for a stream of ground-shaking yet educational tunes. While we prepare to launch our Band, and album, a couple of singles are set to be dropped just to whet up the appetite of our fans. Great works and tunes are set to be rolled out earlier than one can think of. Just keep your eyes on the road, and your ears will be giving the testimonies before close of February 2024”