One of the standards by which the mettle of an artiste is judged is his/her ability to withstand the test of time.
Another is the artiste’s ability to adequately invent and reinvent him or herself to suit the trends as they change with the passing of time.
Despite six albums and some notable features and collaborations in as many as his 18-year music career, Nana Kwaku Okyere-Duah, known musically as Tic Tac cannot be overlooked when contributions to Ghana’s music industry are being considered.
The first Ghanaian musician to feature another musician outside Ghana, his landmark nine nominations at the 2005 Ghana Music Awards, his socially-conscious song Philomena, which was geared towards the promotion of personal hygiene from his debut album in 1999 are just a few of his contributions to the Ghana music industry.
After going on hibernation for a few years, Tic Tac is set to release his seventh album this year and thrill his fans like he has always done.
The album which is aptly titled 7 on 7, refers to the fact that it will be his seventh and will be released on 7th December 2017.
In anticipation of the album, E-BUZZ caught up with Tic Tac, and had a little chit chat with him on his third single from the album, amongst other issues.
Speaking in an interview with Akwasi Agyekum-Gyimah and Louisa Ackah on E-BUZZ, live on Beach 105.5 FM, he shed light on the inspiration behind the song which debuted on the Exclusive Countdown with Kojo Amoako Nzoley last week.
He explained that ‘Carry Go’ – a sure club banger and hit for party-goers – which features High Grade Family’s frontman, Samini, is from the viewpoint of males who tend to take a lady home, whenever they are out and about.
Speaking about his featuring Samini on ‘Carry Go’, with whom he collaborated on his ‘Kangaroo’ single back in 2006, Tic Tac stated that it was a strategy to help him reintroduce himself to Ghanaian music lovers.
Tic Tac went on to talk about his connection and relationship with Samini, though it has been over a decade since he last collaborated with him:
“Samini to me is a fantastic talent…it’s always a great feeling linking up with a brother.”
As one of the executives of the Ghana Music Rights Organization (GHAMRO), the agency tasked with the responsibility for collecting and distributing royalties for the public or commercial use of music in Ghana, Tic Tac reacted to claims by some musicians about GHAMRO’s ineptitude in the collection of royalties.
He stated that, “I will be more than happy to receive more royalties myself because I’m sure I’ve done so many hits that are still being played. But, instead of sitting home and making noise, it’s better to visit the office, join hands and see what we can do to improve the situation.”
The Philomena star also urged his counterparts in the music industry to be self-advocators and help spread the word as they fight to get people pay when artistes’ songs are used.
Still on the issue of piracy and the collection of royalties, Tic Tac gave his view on the controversial decision by GHAMRO to introduce a policy to ensure the paying of royalties by churches.
According to Tic Tac, the policy is certainly in the right direction. He added that regardless of the fact that musicians are singing in ‘church’, “they still have to get what is due them.”
When asked about some of his favourite current artistes, the veteran mentioned MzVee, along with two of Takoradi’s very own – Pappy Kojo and Nero X.
~ Godwin Kpade
