I was seventeen years old when I wrote my very first full song. I say full song because up until that point, it had been me playing around with words and rhythms, just making all kinds of stuff up. It was more of a fun thing to do–to just play with words and melodies. Some melodies I made up and some I would take from popular songs I loved. I would rewrite them another way just for fun. However, I started taking songwriting more seriously when I felt God calling me to ministry. The call came with a burning desire to write songs–songs I believed God would use for what He desired on the earth. I had–and still have–a strong desire to write timeless songs about who God is, about love, and about life.
The first song I wrote was called, “Time Passes By.” I was inspired by the story of the prodigal son, focusing more on the boundless and unconditional love of the father shown toward his lost son. The song was an expression of how I felt God was loving me in the season I was in, despite my many disappointments. I also wanted others to know that God’s love is steadfast and eternal. His love isn’t something to earn but it is already given and guaranteed regardless of the state or stage of life they were in.
I love all styles of music. I usually fall in love with a song because of the lyrics and message first, not the style. I lean into that lyrical love when writing my songs. I stay true to how I feel in the moment about whatever revelation or truth of God I discover. Then, I lean on that emotion and allow it to determine the style or mood of the message I want to share in the song. Over the years, I’ve realized that even though I’ve written songs with different styles, the majority of my songs lean more into the RnB style, followed by pop music, and the “highlife” style (which is indigenous to my Ghanaian roots and culture). The rest of the songs I wrote are somewhat spread across classical, choral, country, and many other styles. I write songs that are very different but just like me in an odd way. Just a few are a reggae song or something with a fusion of more than one style.
I don’t have a particular song-writing process–they come in all forms, shapes and sizes. I have had just a chorus at one time and the verses eluded me for weeks and sometimes even years. Other times, I would dream whole songs from start to end–verses, chorus, bridge, pre-chorus. Sometimes, I would consciously task myself in a moment to create something from scratch and I watched it just blossom right before my eyes without much effort. However, there were those days when it just would not budge, no matter how I twisted and turned. I have struggled some days when I put my mind to writing a song. But regardless of the process, one thing I always make sure I understand is the message. The state of my life at the moment always determines the message, and my mood at the time of inspiration determines the style of the song.
I find inspiration everywhere! I open up to life and just allow every moment of my day to trigger the process. I have found in my twenty-plus years of writing that my greatest inspirations come from the lessons I’ve learned over time from life. Moments of joy and sadness are the biggest triggers for me. I usually write when I am at the height of either one of those emotions. Songwriting is a way for me to not forget the lesson I learn. The lesson could be a revelation about God that I discovered in the moment or recognizing a truth about my relationship with Him–I need to share it.
I have seen God move through the songs I have had the privilege of not just writing, but also recording for others to hear and share in the truth they speak. I am always honored to hear someone tell me how they have been blessed or how a song I wrote was holding them up in the season they were in – a moment of revelation they got from a song of mine was guiding their life.
Writing music gives me the opportunity to connect with people from all ages and different cultural backgrounds, as well as the opportunity to meet influential men and women whose love for music brought us together. I am sharing God through the most powerful medium of communication known to mankind.
When someone listens to a song I’ve written and they tell me I just wrote the story of their life, I realize how connected we are as God’s creation–regardless of the race or the culture we come from. A common ground was created that made both of us feel less lonely, and in that moment I realized God’s plan for humanity is for us to live in harmony with one another, side by side, united by a shared gift and a common good. Because of this, I know that writing songs gives me a glimpse of what life can be and that brings hope–an incredibly powerful thing.
Each song I write is like a piece of myself–my life and my story with God–broken and shared with the world. I believe everyone who engages with each of my songs gets to know God by those little pieces of me they encounter. By allowing others to see all the broken pieces in my life, I hope people will realize that God cares about the details–including all the little things we often feel are of no significance or importance to Him.
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Watch all the messages in our “What Did I Just Sing?” series here.
