Mzbel, a prominent Ghanaian singer, has revealed the tale behind her hit song “16 Years.”
The CEO of ‘Mzbel Music,’ in a recent interview on 3Music’s Big Conversation, said that the song was inspired by talks about the severe concerns of rape and the vulnerability of young girls.
She claimed that she watched the conduct of young girls she used to live with in James Town, as well as hearing Maame Dokono discuss rape on the radio.
These events inspired her to write the song. Mzbel stated that she wrote the words to the song while riding in a cab and listening to Maame Dokono discuss rape on the radio.
Mzbel said, “I was in a taxi when I came up with the lyrics. I used to live with many girls from James Town, so I observed how they talked and behaved. Maame Dokono was always on the radio talking about rape. One day, while we were in a taxi listening to Maame Dokono, I watched people’s reactions to the stories, and I came up with the song ’16 yrs’.”
She added, “I began writing the song in the taxi, and when I got home, I expanded on it, and that’s how it came together.” When asked if she expected the song to have such a big impact, Mzbel said, “Not at all, I didn’t even think it would become popular outside Ghana. I thought it was just another nice song I had created. But suddenly, it started spreading to Nigeria, Togo, and Equatorial Guinea.”
16 Years was one of Mzbel’s biggest song which pushed her to became one of the most influential musicians in Ghana.
