Veteran Ghanaian gospel artiste Stella Aba Seal has expressed frustration over what she sees as a growing lack of respect for industry pioneers, saying many young musicians use her songs without asking.
On Onua Showtime, she described the trend as both painful and discouraging.
“They don’t ask for permission before using my songs,” she said.
Stella Aba Seal believes this issue reflects a broader societal problem in Ghana. She argued that honouring trailblazers is not deeply ingrained in the culture and that this lack of respect is visible across creative fields.
While athletes often receive public recognition, she noted, musicians, actors, and boxers are frequently overlooked.
“In Ghana, honouring is not part of our culture. We don’t respect trailblazers and pathfinders. It happens rarely, unlike in sports where international footballers have built houses for communities and offered support,” she stated.
She added that veteran artists are sometimes unfairly labeled as attention seekers when they speak up.
“When you try to correct them for not relating properly to grown adults, they say you just want to trend, even when you are old enough to give birth to them and they met you at the workplace,” she explained.
Stella Aba Seal stressed that older musicians laid the groundwork for today’s industry. “We have done a lot of education on telling people to appreciate us after inviting us because we pay for our recordings ourselves.”
Comparing Ghana to Nigeria, she praised the respect shown to legends there. “In Nigeria, young actors and musicians visit legends with gifts and receive blessings. In Ghana, it’s only Nana Ama McBrown that I have seen replicating that,” she said.
She expressed frustration with how younger artists handle veteran songs, noting that some use them without asking, while others record first and only inform the owners when a release is imminent. “Sometimes, you only see that they have already done it without your permission,” she revealed.
Stella Aba Seal also issued a spiritual warning, emphasizing that actions have consequences.
“There are laws governing this universe: spiritual laws, physical laws, and universal laws, and they work. If I don’t say anything, the laws in the air will deal with you. If I say ‘hmmmm’, the laws God has placed in the air will still work,” she cautioned.
She referenced the principles of sowing and reaping and the concept of karma. “One of the laws is: what you sow is what you will reap. Karmic laws work. It doesn’t matter how much you pray, speak in tongues, or apply grace, karma will catch up with you. If not today, then tomorrow,” she said.
Concluding her message to the younger generation, she urged mindfulness in their actions.
“As humans, we must do good.”
