‘I never gave up on myself’- Sista Afia on resilience, faith and finding her place in Ghana’s music industry

The singer says she has no regrets about her journey, viewing both setbacks and successes as experiences that have helped her grow and shape her career.

She identifies “resilience, growth, and impact” as the three words that best describe her career, while pointing to prayer, hard work and self-belief as sources of strength.

The Ghanaian singer, whose real name is Francisca Gawugah, says perseverance has been at the centre of her journey from the beginning.

I never gave up on myself. I started with a dream, took a big risk by leaving what was familiar to pursue music, and had to fight through so many challenges, doubts, and sacrifices along the way.

Her reflection captures the foundation on which she has built her career. Before the recognition and collaborations came the difficult decision to pursue music and the determination to keep going when the path was uncertain.

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Sista Afia via Instagram She has no regrets about her journey Like most careers, Sista Afia’s time in the music industry has come with difficult moments. However, she does not look back wishing she had taken a different route.

I don’t think I’ll change any regrets. I feel like everything is supposed to happen for a reason

For the singer, even the experiences she would once have considered setbacks have contributed to her development.

Regrets just put you in your past, and sometimes regrets also help you learn and grow. So I appreciate everything that’s come my way

Rather than dwelling on what could have been, she chooses to view each experience as part of the bigger picture.

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Ghana’s music industry is filled with artistes competing for attention across genres including afrobeats, highlife, dancehall and gospel. Asked what makes her stand out, Sista Afia points to her mindset rather than a particular musical style.

I’m very determined. I don’t know about them, but I can speak for me. I’m a go-getter and I know what I want. I set my goals and I achieve my goals. That makes me different.

She also adds with confidence: “And I’m very talented also.”

Her career has seen her work with some of Ghana and Africa’s prominent musicians. She gained wider attention with ‘Jeje’, which featured dancehall star Shatta Wale, and later appeared on Sarkodie’s ‘Black Love’ album on ‘Broken Heart’.

She has also released successful songs of her own, including ‘Weathe’ and ‘Conner Conner’, featuring Kelvynboy.

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Sista Afia via Instagram ‘Paper’ reflects her personal journey Among her catalogue, Sista Afia identifies ‘Paper’, her 2020 collaboration with Nigerian musician Victor AD, as one of the songs that most closely reflects her personal story.

The song was released during a new phase in her career and received an International Collaboration of the Year nomination. Beyond the recognition, however, its significance to her is rooted in the message behind it.

It really talks about my story and my journey. That song resonates with me because I was talking about my life and what was going through my life at that moment, and how I want God to help me achieve my dreams in that music.

Her comments also reveal the importance of faith in her approach to both music and life. For Sista Afia, spirituality is not separate from her ambitions but part of how she navigates them.

Breaking through in Ghana’s music industry has not always been easy for female artistes, and Sista Afia acknowledges the challenges women face in an industry where men have traditionally occupied much of the spotlight.

Her strategy, she explains, has been to remain focused on her passion rather than allow the difficulties to discourage her.

What has helped me is not giving up, pursuing what I love, and believing in what I believe in, which is music. I never took anything else seriously apart from music.

She also believes her experience of competing with boys while growing up prepared her for the challenges she would later encounter in music.

I’ve always competed with boys back in school, like everything. So I’m used to competing with men in the music space as well

Her comments echo an optimism she expressed years ago about the growing influence of female artistes in Ghana. In 2020, she told the Ghana News Agency that women in the industry were gradually closing the gap with their male counterparts and suggested that their time to take centre stage was approaching.

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Sista Afia via Instagram Faith remains her source of strength For an artiste constantly exposed to public scrutiny, expectations and the pressure to remain relevant, maintaining mental and emotional balance can be difficult.

For Sista Afia, prayer has been an important part of dealing with those pressures.

Prayers. Prayers has always helped me in those areas. I don’t think I’ve ever been depressed for a while, because the only thing I’ve known that has helped me mentally is putting my trust in God and telling Him my problems. I feel relieved after speaking to the Creator.

Rather than presenting her faith as a cure-all, she describes prayer as a personal source of comfort and a way of releasing the burdens she carries.

Her belief in God has therefore remained closely connected to both her personal life and her ambitions as a musician.

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Sista Afia via Instagram She has no fixed list of dream collaborations When asked which artistes she would most like to collaborate with, Sista Afia does not single out a particular musician.

Her approach to the Grammy Awards is similarly measured. Although she recognises the prestige attached to winning one of the world’s most prominent music awards, she does not view it as the sole measure of success.

People have made it like that, but to me it’s a great opportunity when you have it. It’s good for your brand as well.

She acknowledges the significance of the awards, describing the Grammys as the biggest awards scheme in the world and noting that winning one would represent a major achievement for any musician.

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For her, however, the award appears to be one milestone among many rather than the ultimate destination.

Asked to describe her entire career in just three words, Sista Afia chooses words that bring together the themes that run through her story.

Those three words neatly capture the philosophy behind her journey.

Resilience reflects her refusal to abandon her ambitions despite setbacks. ‘Growth’ represents her willingness to learn from both good and difficult experiences. And ‘impact’ points to the mark she hopes to leave on Ghana’s music industry.

For Sista Afia, the journey has never been only about the applause. It has been about taking the risk to pursue a dream, surviving the difficult moments and continuing to move forward.