<<Print>>

Legendary music producer, Fred Kyei Mensah has expressed utter disappointment in gospel singer Patience Nyarko over her recent utterances and attack on Joe Mettle, a fellow gospel musician.

Fred Kyei Mensah, popularly called Fredyma, wondered why Patience Nyarko should be worried if Ghanaian music enthusiasts are hyping Joe Mettle because the singer has worked hard and deserves every praise.

Patience Nyarko, speaking on Onua FM on Saturday, May 16, 2020, switched into a frenzied mood when the name of Joe Mettle was mentioned in the radio discussion.

Patience Nyarko's attack on Joe Mettle stemmed from some assertions which were made by broadcaster O.B Nartey.

O.B Nartey, sharing his opinions on why Ghana's gospel music isn't penetrating the international market, believed that some gospel artistes have not packaged themselves well and held that currently Joe Mettle happens to be the gospel singer with prospect to break through the international market.

He continued to speak highly of Joe Mettle saying the musician has built a strong brand and is a marketable personality.

O.B Nartey further opined that he would choose Joe Mettle to represent Ghana's gospel music industry on the international level.

But Patience Nyarko appeared to have had enough of the praises on Joe Mettle and so questioned on what basis is the 2017 VGMA Artiste of the Year the best among gospel singers in the country.

"I don't want people to think that Joe Mettle is the only Gospel artiste in Ghana. The way they are hyping him, I want people to know that he is not there yet. Sincerely, they are giving the guy a problem, I'm telling you," Patience Nyarko fumed.

"When we talk about English songs, how many songs does Joe Mettle have? Is it not Pentecost songs that Joe Mettle sings? If the church of Pentecost and Methodist church should ban people from using their songs, what will be Joe Mettle's fate?"

"What about those of us who write our own songs. Look at Nacee, Diana Hamilton, and Joyce Blessing who write their own songs. We have all been ignored because we don't speak English. Is English food we eat?" she further asked.

Touching on the issue on Peace FM's 'Entertainment Review' with host Akwasi Aboagye, Fredyma berated Patience Nyarko for picking on Joe Mettle when the discussions on Onua FM had nothing to do with him.

To Fredyma, Patience Nyarko's reactions have something to do with Joe Mettle winning Artiste of the Year in 2017 because she believes her song ''Obi Nyanime'' was buzzing during the time and consequently she hoped to bag home the ultimate award at the 2017 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA).

Fredyma added that it appears Patience Nyarko has not yet got over the issue as she always feels uncomfortable and threatened by the name ''Joe Mettle'' and so sends her anger upon him without any cause.

Fredyma advised Patience Nyarko to tone down and focus on her music.

''I've been in the music scene for years. There is so much hatred in the gospel scene. There is love though but not as compared to the hatred...Competition has been with us since the day we started going to school. Competition is good but at least when a person is brilliant or does something better than you, acknowledge or commend the person for what the person is doing . . .

''In the reaction of Patience Nyarko to Joe Mettle, some of the words that came out wasn't palatable in terms of a colleague artiste you work with...You can express your feelings without touching on the nerves of your other colleague," he stressed.