Evergreen Ghanaian musician Akosua Agyepong has a very charming elder sister by name Stephanie Benson, who according to reports, has caught the eyes of HRH Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, the Prince of Wales, heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II.
Stephanie, just like Akosua, is a musician and currently one of the most sought after live performers in Britain, as well as a familiar face to the Britain’s Royal Family.
The first time Prince Charles heard her sing, he told her “you are one of the most amazing performers I’ve ever seen.” While her younger sister, Akosua, is married to a pastor and was recently ordained a pastor of the House of God International Prayer Ministries at Kasoa, Stephanie performs a genre of music that is almost contrary to the type of gospel songs her sister does. Stephanie lives in London with her five children.
The last time she was a Ghana to perform at the Akosua @ 20 event, her style of dressing raised a lot of eyebrows and not many people believed she was a mother of five. Checks from her official website showed that Stephanie was born and raised in Ghana and began studying how to play the piano at the tender age of three.
At age eight, she was sent to the National Academy of Music, where she also learned how to play the violin and cello. During these early years, Stephanie developed and pursued her musical craft until age 14, when she moved to London after the death of her father. Aside playing for the Royal Family, Stephanie performs for high-end clients and celebrities at prestigious and private events as well as highly rated night clubs.
It was during one of those performances that she was spotted by Peter Waterman, who signed her to his label PWL, through which she released her first recorded single ‘Now is the Time,’ which earned her a top 20 position on the UK dance charts.
She has done collaborations with other songwriters and artistes including Andy Hill (Bucks Dizz), Terry Britton (Tina Turner) Danny Schogger (Celine Dion), Wayne Vaughn (Earth Wind and Fire), Rob Davis (Kylie Minogue) and Stevie Wonder, among others.
Further checks revealed that Stephanie’s indigenous name is Akua Ohenewaah Asienem Akotokyerehemaa, daughter of Nana Boahemaah II, the Queenmother of Ohenemaah Kokobin in the Ashanti Region. On why she does not want to stay in Ghana to become a queenmother, Stephanie explained that every female member of her family who became queen died of cancer at the age of 48.
These included her great-grandmother, her grand-mother, her mother and two aunts. It might be a coincidence, but Stephanie says she is not willing to find out. She however considers her mother her ultimate role model.