Ghanaian Afropop, dancehall and reggae musician, Livingstone Etse Satekla, better known by his stage name Stonebwoy, has hit back at critics of his trending song, “Putuu”.
Speaking in an interview on Kumasi based Luv FM’s Oseikrom Top Ten Chart Show on Sunday 26th July,2020, Stonebwoy described people who labeled the song as trash and calling him out for lowering his standard as “very shallow”.
The multiple award winning musician has become the talk of town after releasing his latest song titled “Putuu”. The song which went viral even before its release has been received with mixed reactions with some individuals including industry players and high profile personalities describing it as “trash” and “gibberish”.
While some critics of the song argue that it lacked content, others say some of the lyrics of the song are meaningless hence it lowers the standard Stonebwoy has set for himself.
Reacting to the criticisms, Stonebwoy said music is not necessarily about meaningful lyrics but the technical output of its production citing South African and Tanzanian songs Ghanaians enjoy but do not understand the lyrics. He argued that the song has good production, melody and technical output hence it cannot be described as trash. He wondered why the critics are not talking about the choruses of the song which are motivational and inspirational but concentrated on the parts they do not understand.
The CEO of Burniton Music Group said that describing the song in such terms is disrespectful to the masses that enjoy it. “So who is saying that though? That means that I mean if you do so, you are trying to disrespect the people who are listening and enjoying the song.”
“My song, the beat is correct, the key is on time, the melodies are on time, the choruses; pray pray e go better, technically, it’s correct. If I was singing off tune and the whole song sound trash, the composition and I mean and the mastering (of the song) is not proper then you can talk something. You can a have point to say s3 the song is that that.”
Acknowledging that people have different preferences for music, he asserted that the release of the “Putuu” song and other different genres of songs by him shows his versatility in the music industry.
Revealing the circumstances that led to the release of the song, he stated that the song was just melodies of a song he was working on and therefore he did not plan to release it. He said after sharing it with people close to him who demanded for it, it went viral with many demanding for it and that forced him to release the song. “This was not a plan release at all. I think a couple months ago. I was starting to record a big song. When I started to record it, I did melodies to start you know and then so I can fix lyrics then you know, known language or known words as in language that people, I mean Ghanaians or whatever can understand before I proceed you know but I left it that way, right? You know I could do a lot of records you know. Many songs are going on so I left it that way. But anytime I come back to listen to it, I’m like wow! this is, this has a different vibe. What can I sing to replace these lyrics at all?
A few closed people around me were like we like the song, could you send it to us? I sent it to a few of them around me so we all keep (kept) jamming. It was a song that was inside my coop.
So I think one of my friends who had it was playing and people dabbed it from there
Then it became like a demand. ‘You have to release this song oo’. Everybody is asking. Like The pressure was coming from everywhere.
And so I just released it, that is it. Because the demand was by the people love (who) it. They wanted to hear what at all that song was. And they have it and I appreciate the love they are showing to the song.”
He explained that “when you’re creating music, you are led by some melodies and some vibes before you even start to put some lyrics to those vibes and sometimes you don’t get the lyrics, it (lyric) doesn’t come, you leave as that.”
He maintained that the song has served its purpose as it brings happiness to people in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic that Ghana and the world are dealing with. When asked about the meaning of the “meaningless” lyrics in the song, the BET award winner suggested that the “meaningless” words of the song are tongues.
He however, in a lighter note, pleaded with his critics not to “crucify” him as he will be serving them with music that will meet their taste.
