Renowned Highlife legend and MUSIGA President Bessa Simons is sounding the alarm about what he sees as an urgent threat to the future of Highlife music in Ghana. Once the nation’s defining rhythm, the genre, he warned, is losing ground with the youth, who now favor contemporary styles like Afrobeats and Amapiano.
During an interview with Graphic Showbiz, Simons reflected on the genre’s declining influence among younger listeners.
“Highlife should be getting special attention. We have to work hard to make the youth believe in it again,” he said, stressing that the lack of positive conversations around Highlife musicians has only intensified the detachment.
While modern tracks carry hints of Highlife, Simons believes the true essence of the genre is fading. “The problem is that the new songs lack the core ingredients that gave traditional Highlife its soul,” he explained.
Simons did not shy away from acknowledging the role of the genre’s pioneers in its current state. “The older guys stopped recording too early — and I include myself in that,” he admitted. He believes if more veterans had continued producing music, it would have preserved the genre’s authenticity for the next generation to build on.
Though steps are being taken to revive Highlife, Simons stressed that the effort must be intensified at every level, from education to technology, and from industry players to national cultural advocates.
“If we don’t act now, we risk losing one of our richest cultural legacies,” he cautioned, urging a collective move to protect what he regards as a cornerstone of Ghanaian music history.
