Elijah Kwame Owusu Danso, formerly known as E-Nice from the music group Echo, has transitioned from his music career to politics, recently emerging as the running mate for Alan Kyerematen’s Movement for Change.
This shift has sparked mixed reactions across the country, with many applauding his nomination, while others mocked his past in the music industry, particularly referencing his hit song, “Gologolo.”
Speaking to the media, Kwame Owusu Danso shared his experiences and how the announcement of his candidacy stirred varied responses.
He acknowledged the criticisms aimed at his musical background but emphasized that the attention helped raise his profile.
“I mean, I am announced and the very first reaction that I see on social media is ‘Alan Kyeremanteng nominates Gologolo Hitmaker as Veep’ and of course sometimes it is political because they want to elicit some kind of conversation just to water down the relevance of my nomination.They were trying to ridicule the music and trying to belittle the relevance of my nomination, to say that Ghana is a cartoon station in heaven.”
Addressing the importance of his music past, he highlighted the emotional connection music provides and its power to influence people.
“Music speaks to the heart and the soul, and music has a way of lifting you from your lowest moment to your highest moment. Sometimes people have wanted to even commit suicide, but they hear some songs and then they refrain from doing that.”
Despite the ridicule, Kwame Owusu Danso remained optimistic, describing the backlash as a “positive in disguise.”
He pointed out that the initial buzz only helped spread his name further and increasing the views of the video on YouTube.
“Now, once they put that narrative out, the commentaries and the things actually also propelled the story and by the grace of God, now everybody got to know. I remember because at the time there was no YouTube, now the video had about a hundred or something views. The last time I checked they had about 12,000 views. That meant that people were curious about who I was, they were digging and trying to find out.”
Kwame Owusu Danso concluded by reiterating his focus on Alan Kyerematen’s vision of empowering the youth and driving leadership in the country, stating that his past in music does not diminish his capabilities in his new role in politics.
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Story by: Joycelyn Glory | univers.ug.edu.gh
