Being a celebrity comes with an abundance of perks, but it also brings along its fair share of challenges and Ghanaian Dancehall musician, Shatta Wale has opened up on some difficulties he has faced as a result of being in the limelight and how he copes with it.
Known for his unfiltered and honest persona, the ‘Show Mi’ hitmaker, in an exclusive interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) expressed his desire to be honest and real with people even though he is a public figure.
According to him, his desire is to feel normal when offstage, stressing traveling to places like London allows him to experience such freedom as he can’t move freely here in Ghana.
Comparing his experiences as a public figure in Ghana and the UK, Shatta said, “I think I’m brutally honest; I want to be honest with people; I want to be real with people. When I’m off stage, I want to feel like a normal human so actually coming here to London is giving me that feeling because when I’m in Ghana, I can’t go to places.”
The popular music star to a greater extent detailed how his need to feel normal causes him to respond heavily to critics on social media, as it gives him a sense of being on the “streets”.
“Sometimes I feel like I want to eat fufu in a chop bar or a public place but I don’t get that and that’s a huge problem for me.
“So that’s why when people get at me on social media, I just go live and just speak to them like I’m on the street,” he said.
Comparing being a celebrity to being trapped in one’s home, Shatta Wale disclosed that he has to travel around and hold meetings at night due to the disruption he may create if he moves around during the day.
“It’s not easy to be a star; it’s like you’ve bought a yard, you’ve built a whole prison yard and you’ve locked yourself up every time.
“So people need to understand that it’s not easy for me. Because in Ghana, I can’t drive in the mornings or afternoons, I have to hold all my meetings at night,” he emphasized
