Veteran hiplife musician Mzbel has defended her decision not to explain the meaning of the lyrics in her hit song “16 Years”, saying music should leave room for listeners to form their own interpretations.
Mzbel said she became frustrated when the song attracted intense public discussion and she was repeatedly asked to explain specific lines, arguing that artistes should not be expected to provide explanations for every lyric they write.
“My Ghana here it was evil because I said if you touch my thing I have to come and explain what thing you are attaching meaning to my song and you are forcing me to accept it,” she said.
The musician questioned the expectation that an artiste must account for the meaning attached to every line of a song.
“Why should the musician have to explain their lyrics?” she asked.
According to Mzbel, listeners should be able to engage with music freely rather than being directed towards a particular interpretation by the artiste.
“I don’t know why you are to enjoy the music,” she said.
She recalled that Ghanaian music audiences in the past had a strong interest in learning and memorising song lyrics, with some fans buying notebooks to write down the words of their favourite songs.
Mzbel said newspapers also used to publish song lyrics, which some music lovers would cut out and keep.
She said the intense attention surrounding “16 Years” demonstrated how seriously some listeners took the words of popular songs, but maintained that she had no obligation to explain what she intended every lyric to mean.
The musician has consequently left the interpretation of “16 Years” to listeners, maintaining that people can attach their own meanings to the song based on how they understand and experience the music.
