I got ‘scared’ to venture into music due to my loyalty to the police service — Kofi Sarpong

Ghanaian Gospel sensation Kofi Sarpong has opened up about his unexpected journey into the music industry, revealing that his loyalty to the police service initially deterred him from pursuing a career in music.

In an interview on Joy Prime, Kofi Sarpong shared how his reluctance to enter the music scene shifted when his manager, Kwesi Ernest, persistently encouraged him to explore commercial music.

“I declined out rightly and told him, ‘You heard my name as deputy superintendent of police. How could that be possible?’ And for me, I love the police.

“If I’m working and I’m not paid, it would be enough for me. I also wasn’t ready to leave the police. But he persevered.

“He came to see me one day, and I asked him, ‘I’ve seen people holding CDs looking for producers, so why won’t you help them?’ And he told me, 'Papa, I’ve seen you from afar.

“You don’t know me, but I know you, and I want the world to see what’s in you, so please give me the opportunity. After he left, I had to apply to the Inspector General of Police, and approval came through."

He recalled the moment when Ernest visited him with the news that his request to pursue music alongside his police duties had been granted by the Inspector General of Police.

“I breathed a sigh of relief. I called my manager and told him this was the situation, and he was so happy, jumping all over.

“A few hours later, I heard a knock on my door, and it was him with someone holding a piano following him, and it was Akwaboah Jnr. I asked why, and he said, ‘Papa, we are starting today’.

"My first song was rehearsed on that very day, with Akwaboah Jnr. accompanying us," Sarpong reminisced.