Composing our songs in English would not ensure global recognition - Celestine Donkor
Gospel musician, Celestine Donkor
Days after Nigerian gospel sensation Nathaniel Bassey urged Ghanaian gospel artistes to compose more songs in English to gain international appeal, reactions are still pouring in from various stakeholders.
Read full articleAdding her voice to the fray is popular Ghanaian gospel singer, Celestine Donkor who has her reservations about the suggestion by Nathaniel Bassey.
Speaking on the Daybreak Hitz show on Hitz FM on December 7, Celestine Donkor appreciated the suggestion but argued that doing more songs in English is not a guarantee for global recognition.
She added that even though the English language can be an advantage, other factors such as the marketing of the songs and a push from both Ghanaian and global listeners would ensure the success of a song.
“It's a good message coming from someone succeeding at what we are all doing; he is getting global attention, and he's up there. It’s not something we should take lightly. But then, let's say we all decide to do songs in English. Does that guarantee that we will all be put in the global space?
“For you as an artiste to go global, you need to market your songs and target other spaces, but one of the powerful things that gives you global attention is your people and how they receive your song. It's not about the language. Even if language is an advantage, it is not the only factor that would make an artiste go global. So the song can be in English and be great, but if we don't get the advantage of numbers. It would not go far,” Celestine Donkor said.
How it started
During the Jesus Christ Encounter event at the Accra Sports Stadium on December 2. Nathaniel Bassey advised Ghanaian gospel artistes to sing in English to reach more people around the world. He also hoped that Ghanaian gospel artistes would host their concerts in Nigeria and other countries in the future.
His comments, however, sparked debates about the use of language in music and how it influences the marketability of songs from Ghana. Many argued that singing in English was not necessary, while others sided with Nathaniel Bassey and claimed that singing in English boosts the international appeal of the song.
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