Shatta Wale claims he has recorded over 11,000 songs
Ghanaian dancehall star Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., popularly known as Shatta Wale, has disclosed that his music archive contains more than 11,000 songs, many of which have never been released on mainstream streaming platforms.
The self-styled “Dancehall King” made the revelation during a podcast conversation with Ghanaian rapper Andy Osei Sarfo, known in showbiz as YPee.
According to Shatta Wale, his extensive catalogue dates back years and includes music he independently uploaded to a personal website while living in Nima. He said a number of those recordings remain accessible online despite not appearing on platforms such as Apple Music.
“Recently, when we did the calculation of the estimated number of songs I have, it’s like 11,000-plus songs. They’re not all on one platform. Those days when I was at Nima, I had a website where I packed a lot of songs there. Some of the songs, when you search on Apple Music, you won’t see them, but when you Google them, you will find them,” he said.
Shatta Wale attributed the size of his catalogue to his decision to work independently and release songs whenever he believed they were good enough, rather than waiting for approval from record executives.
“With me, because I wasn’t controlled by anybody, when I make a song and I feel it’s nice, then I release it. Most of the songs have given me good feedback,” he stated.
He further explained that his recording routine depends largely on his mood. On productive days, he can complete several songs in one session, while he may sometimes stay away from the studio for months.
“I’ve recorded a lot, and I record almost every day. It’s not like I just record for people to see that I’m recording; I record when I feel like it. I can record like five songs when I’m in the mood for it. Sometimes too, for like three months, I wouldn’t even go close to my computer. Those are the times you will see me driving in town, going for meetings and doing other things,” he said.
The volume of his work, however, has created an unusual problem for the musician — forgetting some of the songs he has recorded.
Shatta Wale said he can still reconnect with older songs when he hears them, but there are occasions when he has had to rely on his disc jockey, Kelvin Mensah, popularly known as Vyrusky, to identify tracks during performances.
“I can perform most of the songs from years ago. Sometimes, when it’s played for once and I listen, then I remember it. When it’s been a long time and it’s played, I may forget the lyrics. Sometimes, when I’m performing on stage, Vyrusky can play a song, and I will go and ask him, ‘Whose song is that?’” he added.
The disclosure offers a glimpse into the unusually large body of unreleased and archived material accumulated by one of Ghana’s most prolific contemporary musicians.
Watch the interviev below:
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Source: Yvonne Nyarko Agyemang
