'I didn't know 'Happy Day' was political; I'm still paying the price' - Kuami Eugene

Ghanaian musician Kuami Eugene has revealed that he is still dealing with the consequences of his feature on Sarkodie’s 2020 track, 'Happy Day'.

Speaking in an interview with Andy Dosty on Hitz FM, the singer disclosed that the song, which was widely interpreted as an endorsement of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), continues to cause him problems four years after its release.

Eugene explained that when he was approached to feature on the track, he was unaware of its political undertones.

According to him, Sarkodie’s team initially pitched a different theme for the song. After recording the chorus, however, the song’s direction changed, with many listeners perceiving it as a political endorsement of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP, a stance Kuami Eugene insists he never intended to support.

I am still suffering from it, and I had no idea what conversation sparked the fact that it should be Kuami Eugene, but after I did the chorus out of the first verse I heard from my senior man (Sarkodie), it ended up that way, he said.

Despite this, Eugene has had to deal with continued backlash, with many critics associating him with the political message of the song.

The singer expressed disappointment with the negative impact the song has had on his reputation and clarified that his focus remains solely on his music career, with no desire to align himself with any political party. He emphasised that the situation has been challenging, as the song’s political interpretation continues to affect him.

Background

The controversy stems from certain lyrics in 'Happy Day', which were perceived as praising President Nana Akufo-Addo and criticising opposition leader John Dramani Mahama.

Released in November 2020, just before the December elections, the song has continued to stir debate about Kuami Eugene's involvement in political discourse.

Despite his efforts to clarify his stance, the musician finds himself repeatedly explaining that he had no political intentions when contributing to the song.

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