How "Oye" Became a Popular Song in Ghana

So how did you become so familiar with this "Oye" song? I guess your answer would most probably be "on radio!" Well, I have been singing in a choir even before the song was composed. A year ago? Or a couple more? No! This song has been in existence long before the time you probably heard it.

Music score of "Oye" by James Varrick Armaah

Origin

Composed by James Varrick Armaah, a renowned musician and composer in the choral music circles and a recent Masters in Philosophy graduate of the University of Ghana, the popular and award winning "Oye", also known as Asɛm Papa Bi a Mate, was composed about 8 years ago (in 2009) while the composer was in Atlanta, GA, in the USA. In an article titled A Blended Composer published by Armaah, "a Ghanaian who hails from Winneba," the composer writes:

James Varrick Armaah 

"...born into a musical family; his father, a choir master of the Winneba A.M.E. Zion Cathedral and his mother a chorister. His musical talents were discovered at a very tender age when after every rehearsal attended with his parents, he could remember and sing all the four parts taught. He started composing at the age of seven (7) and those [trial] songs were performed by colleagues at Sunday School. He started playing the organ for church services at the age of eleven (11) and lifted up many souls. Later, he became the principal organist for the Winneba Youth Choir from Year 2000 to July 2007. He worked together with the choir's director, Paa John, to raise the choir to its present state of being the nation's leading Youth Choir. He accompanied the choir on all their recordings, performances both in Ghana and abroad." (Armaah, 2008) 

Gaining Ground

Armaah is the Executive Director of the Harmonious Chorale Ghana which is a non-denominational choir based in Ghana. The choir is probably the first to have rehearsed and performed the piece, and a recording of it is found in one of their first albums, OYE. Since then, the choir has performed the song on various platforms in various medleys, and some of these performances are found on their YouTube channel. Other choirs had also been singing it at church services and other events, but until very recently, knowledge of the song was probably very limited to churches and groups that are 'pro-chorale.' 

Asɛm Papa Bi A Mate - Recent rendition 

by James Varrick Armaah's Harmonious Chorale

In 2014, we realize the song experience a crossover into the popular contemporary music setting; the song was featured in songs that were used for praise and adoration sessions at various church/Christian gatherings with Joyful Way Inc., a popular gospel music group in Ghana, holding a live performance of it. Since then, Oye joined the ranks of Ghanaian crossover choral songs like Yesu Ka Wo Ho (by Osei Boateng).

Unfortunately, the original choral recordings of such a crossover were not popular, or rather consciously not popularised, enough, and this contributed to little or nothing being known of the choir and the composer by the masses that came to love the chorus. Yet, the Remission Choir, a local choral group based in Bubuashie (Greater Accra) has been a different situation. The 'Chairman General' of the widely listened Kokrokoo morning show on Peace FM (104.3 FM) in Accra so fell in love with the recording by the Remission Choir. The song had been played for over a year on each session of the morning show by well-known Kwame Sefa Kayi. Kokrokoo is a popular morning show that mainly concentrates on national issues and current affairs, holding newspaper reviews and discussion panels with major politicians and stakeholders of Ghana. 

In 2013, the music video for the recording by Remission Choir was published by the director of the video production on YouTube, and this has chalked up over 140,000 views since:

It was not surprising to find then presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the run-up  to Ghana's 2016 general elections become so fond of the song, since he obviously was a regular follower of the Kokrokoo morning show. The rendition by Remission Choir was played on a number of campaign platforms as he danced to it. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been spotted dancing to the song even after he was elected and subsequently ascended the highest position of the land. At the inauguration of the president on January 7, 2017, the piece was played by the military band as he inspected the 'Guard of Honour.' Similarly, we heard the band play Oye as the first song on their list at the Independence Day march past, and this has increased its popularity.

 TV3 Ghana's Up-close with the Composer

Essence

As a choral person with keen interest and stake in music, I agree with Armaah that Ghanaian choral music "has a future" and I am just a part of so many youngsters who are deep into the genre of music. Moreover, this genre is widely in the context of the Gospel, and I see choral music as a very great tool in the spreading of the Gospel. Producers (singers, composers, etc.) of choral music must endeavour to move beyond the scale of publicity they employ. They must seek to get their music recordings and videos played extensively on the traditional media (radio and TV) so that these inspiring songs would reach the person with the least interest in our genre of music. Television and radio advertisements of our concerts and album/book launches must be employed a great deal.

There is so much room for improvement regarding our ministry reaching the masses, and we need to do so much more than we have ever done.