Rocky Dawuni, a Ghanaian Reggae artist who has won international awards, claims that the reason why most musicians in the country do not succeed abroad is that they lack originality in their work.
"When doing music, you don’t have to do it like someone else or copy what somebody is doing", Rocky Dawumi said adding that, ‘musicians who do that can’t make it international’
He claims that the reason he was able to win foreign honours despite receiving three Grammy nominations was that he maintained his originality and never openly copied others.
"My style is not pure reggae music, it is called afro root. It is a style I mix with Highlife, Afrobeat and different mixed together. So if you are doing music, you don’t have to do it as someone else or copy what somebody is doing. When you do that, you won’t make it", he explained
When asked who his musical influences were, Rocky Dawuni said that Nana Kwame Ampadu and Apofo Agyei were major influences on his work.
"When I began I was inspired by people like Nana Ampadu, Ampofo Adjei, all of these people inspired me before Jamaican music came. So when you listen to me critically, it is a fusion of all these styles", he said.
"So what I’m saying is that, you can’t copy somebody’s style and make it yours. Of course you can’t do it better than the originator of the style so you have to create your own and that is what will make people know that you also have something unique to offer", he added.