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Music of Monday, 13 August 2007

Source: ghanamusic.com

Daddy Lumba is gone

Daddy Lumba in gone forever, the name ladies love to mention with so much passion and would always desire to associate themselves with, is no more.


This news which came as a surprise sounded unbelievable but could not be overlooked because it came from the camp of the singer himself. His manager Frank Agyekum confirmed that from now Daddy Lumba does not exist and that the name will no more be officially mentioned or heard anywhere.


“From now my name is no more Daddy Lumba” he told Weekly Fylla in an exclusive follow up interview.


Charles Kwadwo Fosu a.k.a Daddy Lumba, presently one of the biggest names in Ghana as far as music is concerned, is changing his image, his personality and the direction of his stardom to something more advanced and different.


He is changing his popular artistic name Daddy Lumba which is well known the world over, to simply DL (Daddy Lumba) to make his image and his name more appealing to anybody who comes across it in any part of the world.


This is the starting point of a new face Daddy Lumba is putting to celebrate two decades as a musician and his future as a role model.


For how far he has gotten, he outlined a number of plans among which he intends to build a business empire to take care of any investment he has made in the past and whatever he will do in the future.


The new identity he wants to have as the trade name of all his products is DL registered as a trade mark. He wants to see himself as a marketable entity than just a musician.


Sharing his experience, Lumba said it was not easy in the beginning. In his case, it took him three years to release his first album “Eye aka akwantuom” recorded in 1986.


In the time of his release which was the era of Nana Ampadu and other great highlife musicians it was not easy to make a hit among all those big names but for the passion he had for music, young Lumba never gave up. As a young singer, Lumba said locally he took inspiration from the late Akwasi Ampofo Agyei (AAA) and Nana Kwame Ampadu and on the international scene Bob Marley, who always inspired him. When he was asked what he thinks about the fact that people call him a profane musician, Daddy said he wants someone to come out and mention one word or a phrase in any of his songs which is profane.” Ghanaians are like that. They dress you even before they see you”.


He explained that on his entire twenty three (23) albums, he always has two songs which advises, a minimum of three songs about love and the rest about things around us. “So where is the profane” he asked.


He mentioned Nana Acheampong, Ofori Amponsah, Pat Thomas, Akua Serwaa, Selina Orlins, Afia Ampofowaa, Nana Yaw Micka, Felix Owusu, Oheneba Kissi, and Borax and others making thirteen in all as the number of artists he has done different projects with over the years.


His last album “Tokrom” released last year is still making its mark on the market and on the airwaves. About his Lumber Brothers come back album with his partner Nana Acheampong, he said is all set to come but they both want to release and promote their individual albums first.


He is about to hit Ghanaians very hard with yet another controversial album. When he was asked to say something about his new album, he was reluctant because according to him there have being some instances where he disclosed details of this upcoming album, people copy the same thing and call him rather a thief.


However he hinted us that his 24th album yet to be released is titled “Agenda” to be released in October this year.


Until his last album recorded in Creative Studio by Appietus, Lumba used to record all his works mostly in Germany with German producer Bodo Staiger at Rheinklaig Studios but this time around everything was done at the Hush Hush Studio by Jay Q right here in Ghana.


Asked why this change, he said he had no idea what good stuff our local producers are made of until he tried them. He added that this is his own small way of appreciating what we have here and advised every Ghanaian musician to use our local producers because they are equally good.


“No one can play our beats better than our own people”. This album is going to be the first time his new brand name DL will be out-doored openly on the tape and CD inlay and any other thing that follows.


He is going into the manufacturing of drugs (pharmaceuticals), drinks, new clothing line, build a number of schools, hostels, do a lot more musical productions and other businesses. In all this the predominant name will be DL.


Breaking down his reasons for this change, he emphasized that even though music is what he is known for, that is not the only thing he can do. “I want people to see me as a businessman and not just a showman.


This can only be possible if I change my image and my name to suit these modern times. So from this album onwards, the name Daddy Lumba will not be valid for anything that has to do with me. Now my name is as simple as DL wherever you see DL remember it’s yours truly” these were words from the horses own month.


He is also going to put up his own events starting from Farmers Day this December and on Valentine Day next year. Don’t wait for anything if you hear DL is performing anywhere because that will be your first time seeing him on stage as DL. Don’t forget where you first read it. This is a Weekly Fylla exclusive.