Ghanaian musician Prince Bright has recounted how the early success of Hiplife group BUK BAK transformed his relationship with his father and convinced him that pursuing music could be a worthwhile career.
The musician, who formed the iconic duo with the late Ronnie Coaches, said his growing popularity as a student at Accra Technical Training Centre (ATTC) eventually helped ease his father’s disapproval of his appearance and musical ambitions.
Speaking on THE SOUND OF GOLD podcast, Prince Bright disclosed that he was initially not entirely committed to a career in music because he was already earning money from a bread-selling business he operated with his cousin.
However, his involvement in music auditions with Ronnie gradually changed his fortunes.
He recalled that their first audition performance, which featured an instrumental titled Recognize, attracted attention, but it was their second performance of Kika that propelled them into the spotlight.
“Once we did that, we became a household name overnight. I didn’t know it would be a big deal until our second audition. We did Kika and then things really took off,” he said.
The sudden recognition came while both musicians were still pursuing their education, marking the beginning of BUK BAK’s rise in Ghana’s music industry.
Prince Bright also revealed that the group’s growing success helped settle a disagreement with his father, who had been unhappy with his decision to maintain a bushy afro hairstyle.
He said his father frequently pressured him to cut his hair, but the situation gradually changed when his musical talent began attracting public recognition.
“I remember I was having a hard time with my dad then because I had an afro hair. Very bushy. Had a lot of hair. Dad had a problem with that,” he recalled.
According to him, the success of their early recordings gave him an opportunity to demonstrate that music was becoming a serious pursuit rather than a distraction from his future.
His father’s eventual acceptance and support, he said, also boosted his confidence to pursue music.
BUK BAK subsequently established itself as one of Ghana’s recognised Hiplife groups, with its music reaching audiences beyond the country, including receiving airplay on the BBC.
