Ghanaian-born Highlife artiste Luciya Nana Yaa Akyaa Benefo, stage named Luciya Music, has released a new single featuring highlife legend, Nana Fynn titled Mensesa.
Mensesa, which literally translates ‘Don’t change”, was released in February to commemorate the celebration of love in the month of February.
Recorded and produced by Nana Fynn, Mensesa is for couples who have strong love for each other and have contributed immensely to see the growth they experience in their relationship.
Luciya explained that Mensesa is also targeted at every person out there struggling with their identities and their relationships with others.
She believes that when people stay true to themselves, they attract the right kind of people that will support and accept them for who they are.
Giving a background to her music career, Luciya said she started her journey eight years ago, singing covers at various joints including restaurants, hotels, and events. She also contested in most of Ghana’s music reality competitions such as Mentor, Vodafone Icons, Project fame and X-Factor. Even though she did not win any of these competitions, Luciya said “these competitions made me stronger because I learnt a lot which has shaped me and contributed to my growth and who I am today.”
She was the only female in an all-male Bessa Simons band which she acknowledges has toughened and strengthened her in her music journey. “It was not easy for me especially as a woman. I needed to adjust myself to fit. I used to break down sometimes and cry but I always shook the dust off and came back stronger”.
When asked who she would most likely love to collaborate with in the immediate future, Luciya mentions Akwaboah. She noted that she loves people who are into, what she describes as “mature music”, which she says best describes Akwaboah’s genre and taste in music.
Luciya has a background in Marketing Management and Information Technology and encouraged anyone especially females to focus on their education whilst pursuing their passion. “Both work together. They go hand-in-hand and you cannot forgo one to focus on the other. Education becomes the ladder you climb to showcase your talent. So I will advise anyone who wants to pursue their passion to also focus on getting an education first”.
The Mummy’s Girl described her mother as her support system, encourager, criticizer and number-one fan. She said her mother has always been present to encourage her in her music career.
Touching on Ghana’s music industry, Luciya noted that the industry is a very tough and challenging field, which makes it easy for musicians to survive anywhere else in the world. “If a musician is able to make it in Ghana, they can make it anywhere else because the space is tough. I have been through a lot, especially being a woman.
To Luciya, Mensesa is one of many other singles she is working on to hit our screens pretty soon. She expressed her passion for standing tall and pushing beyond her limits to become a sensational icon in the music industry.
“I will not put my singles together to make an album. I don’t believe in that. When the time is right to release an album, I will work on a whole new one instead”, she professed.
Mensesa is currently on all music streaming platforms and digital stores. The music video can also be found on video-sharing platform, YouTube under the name ‘Luciya Music’.
In the music video, which has been streamed over 6,000 times, the Contemporary African artiste is seen majestically descending on the silver-plated staircase in her sun-bright yellow penciled skirt and scarf with an ankara crop top to the tune of the acoustic that ushers her soothing voice into the melodious single Mensesa.
