Ghanaian Afrobeats singer and songwriter, Joel Ofori Bonsu known by the stage name OliveTheBoy has silenced his critics who accuse him of being unoriginal and trying to sound Nigerian.
The singer who hails from Konongo in the Ashanti Region rose to fame in May 2023 with “Goodsin” off his “Avana” EP, has refuted claims that he lacks originality and authenticity in his craft.
In an interview with Raza Swaggy on Asaase Radio Cape Coast’s “Rush Hour,” he firmly refuted all such claims, describing them as baseless and untrue. “I don’t sound too Ghanaian, I don’t too Nigerian. I’m just doing music.”
According to the singer, he just wants to be allowed the space to pursue his passion freely without being put in a box and tagged in a particular way.
The 21 years old singer who is currently signed to Bu Vision Entertainment; a subsidiary of Sony’s Columbia Records, also revealed the inspiration behind his stage name OlivetheBoy. He narrated that during the early days of his career, he struggled to get a name for himself but finally decided to settle on Olive. This decision was influenced by the fact that Olive was one of the names his parents had considered before settling on naming him Joel.
He realized that his chosen name might cause some confusion since it’s typically used for females. To clear things up, he decided on Olivetheboy, he continued.
The singer further noted that since choosing the name, he has noticed he’s been living up to its meaning of peace and fruitfulness.
