Kuami Eugene Denies Stealing Songs From Other Artists, Says Sampling Is a Part of Music Production

• Ghanaian singer Kuami Eugene has spoken about the constant allegations that he is stealing songs from other artists
• The highlife sensation denied the claims, explaining that the act of sampling was simply a part of music production
• For Kuami Eugene, there was too much scrutiny of his work by fans, which led to the allegations that he stole songs

Highlife sensation Kuami Eugene has denied the persistent accusations that he 'steals' songs from other musicians.

Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Hitz FM recently, he defended his creative process and sampling other artists.

"I don't 'steal' music," the acclaimed singer stated firmly, addressing persistent criticism about his artistic methods.

Kuami Eugene explained that his approach involved drawing inspiration from various sources while developing his distinctive sound, which he argued is common practice in the music industry.

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Drawing parallels to international icons like Michael Jackson and African superstars Davido and Wizkid, the 2020 TGMA Artist of the Year defended borrowing musical elements for some of his music.

"There's nothing wrong with taking a line or two and modifying it to fit my style. It's a part of how we create music, and it's something that professional musicians do all the time," he said.

Kuami Eugene also expressed frustration over what he perceived as a disproportionate scrutiny of his work by fans and critics when compared to his peers.

"I feel like many artists can get away with it, but for me, it's like every time I release a hit that includes a line reminiscent of another artist's work, I'm criticised," he said.

Kuami Eugene also emphasised that music is an evolving art form built on inspiration and collaboration, with his latest hit Belinda currently doing good numbers.

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Watch the video below:

It was about time

Regarding Kuami Eugene's clarification, music journalist Gabriel Myers Hansen could not help but agree more.

According to the Music In Africa editor, the sampling technique is widely accepted, so he is baffled when Kuami Eugene is so criticised.

"I think he is not been fairly treated in that regard and it was about time he responded to these rumours and critics. There was a case about Wish Me Well, and looking at the song that he was supposed to have stolen, it was sung in French, but people still found it necessary to tag him as stealing it.

"I don't know why Ghanaians tend to do that to our artistes, but there are examples where Nigerian singer Flavour picked Wutah's Kotosa and played it in his language, but we didn't hear Nigerians tagging him as a 'thief'.

Kuami Eugene on his charges for collaborations

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YEN.com.gh also reported that Kuami Eugene discussed what he charges secular and gospel musicians for collaborations.

He explained that he charged secular artists more than their gospel counterparts because they often made more money.

In the same interview, Kuami Eugene said he also felt uncomfortable bargaining on rates with gospel musicians and pastors.

Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh