From Mason To 'Mentor' Star

To state that Isaac Assan aka Show Boy is the most popular singer to emerge from the TV3 ?Mentor? music talent hunt may be an unexciting fact. But to reveal that he made it to the competition only after he was given a second chance is quite interesting.

After initially failing to impress judges at the audition in Takoradi Isaac was put on standby, and when one of the selected amateur singers failed to report for the contest in Accra, Isaac was invited. And, wow, he shook the show!

As soon as he got the invitation to contest in the event he quit his job as a mason and rushed to Accra to pursue his life-long dream of becoming a top musician.

?I believe that the call was from God and not TV3, because barely one year after releasing my first album I was nominated for an award at the Ghana Music Awards for ?Best Collaborative Effort,? a smiling Isaac told The Mirror.

He said after he had failed to pick a ticket to represent the Western Region during the auditions, he went back to his job as a mason but was later invited to Accra to replace one of the delegates who was out of the contest for some reasons. ?And that was the first time I visited, Accra,? he revealed.

?Although I lived in Takoradi, which is also a city, I was struck by the large numbers of people on the streets of Accra when I first touched the soil of the capital.? he added.

He said though he had been singing in his Catholic Church, he had never been to a recording studio. ?When TV3 took us to the studio a day after my arrival in Accra I was confused, not knowing what to do or expect.?

Today, Isaac has become a master of the studio where he is churning out soul-inspiring lyrics and soothing rhythms and melodies, thanks to Bandex Music Centre.

The CEO of Bandex had his eyes on the young singer long before he was evicted from the Mentor House following the low votes that he, received from the public. But interestingly he got his first professional record deal from Bandex the very night he was thrown out of the competition.

He said after he had got the deal from Bandex, top professional singer, Isaiah Ampong, who had had 11 years of singing experience under his belt, was invited to collaborate with him to produce his maiden album, ?Nyame Dome?, which eventually became an instant hit and a GMA-nominated song.

?Master, now that ?Mentor? has made me ?somebody?, I will go back to school so that I can graduate from a mason to a building technician,? Isaac said with determination in his voice.

According to Ampong, Isaac deserves all the credit for the success of the album, ?because as an amateur singer, he did marvelously well in the studio. Especially because we composed many of the songs right in the studio after the sound engineers had given us some beats. ?We also thank God for his direction. He has been very good to us.?

Ampong, who is also a staunch member of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church, pointed out that the fame that the song had brought to them would not make them swollen-headed or arrogant. ?In fact, we still take trotro (public bus services), and live our usual modest lives because we have a long way to go.?

Isaac might have got his inspiration from his father ? Robert Assan ? also a lead singer who played with such great performers as highlife star, A. B. Crentsil.

?My father also serenaded seamen in a number of ships,? Isaac said with a cheek-to-cheek smile.