Veteran Ghanaian gospel musician Esther Smith has revealed that her popular song Nsuro was inspired by the musical composition of Jamaican-American artiste Shaggy’s hit track Angel, which features Rayvon.
Speaking in an interview with blogger Kobby Kyei, the gospel legend explained that although Angel is a secular song, its melody and string arrangement resonated with her spiritually and sparked inspiration.
According to Esther Smith, it was specifically the chord progression of Angel that motivated the creation of Nsuro.
“There’s a guy called Shaggy. I got my song from his song ‘Girl, you’re my angel, you’re my darling angel.’ The chord or string of that song motivated my song — ‘Nsuro wai, nsuro wai, nsuro nea otamfo bɛyɛ.’ That’s where I got my song,” she disclosed.
She stressed that spiritual alignment can allow inspiration to come from diverse sources, regardless of whether the original material is gospel or secular.
Esther Smith also attributed her uniqueness and success at the peak of her career to a strong emphasis on prayer and deep biblical study, even at a time when many gospel musicians were releasing songs frequently.
The Nyame Aguanma hitmaker noted that she never rushed to release songs without first seeking divine direction, saying spiritual guidance played a central role in her music journey.
She further revealed that her songwriting process is deeply spiritual, explaining that her songs come to her fully formed in her mind without being written down.
“I never wrote any of my songs with a pen and paper. The Holy Spirit gives them to me complete,” she said, adding that none of the songs across her ten albums were written in the traditional way.
A household name in Ghanaian gospel music, Esther Smith has received several accolades, including Gospel Album of the Year, Gospel Artiste of the Year, and Best Female Vocal Performance of the Year at the 2003 Ghana Music Awards.
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