Ghanaian-American musician, Jay Ghartey, has revealed that his prolonged absence from the music scene was largely due to his commitment to caring for his late father, whose illness kept him away from the spotlight for several years.
Speaking in an interview on Y’adwumanie on Angel Fm, the singer disclosed that his father suffered a stroke around 2016 and was later diagnosed with cancer, prompting the family to seek medical treatment in the United States.
“My father got sick around 2016. That was why people didn’t hear from me for a long time. He had a stroke, so we had to take him to America. Three years later, he had cancer before he passed away,” Jay Ghartey said.
According to the musician, he shared a close bond with his father and dedicated much of his time to caring for him throughout his illness.
“I was close to him, so I took care of him all the time. I had a label in South Africa and I was pressured to go, but I couldn’t leave him because he was sick. I lost a lot of things during that period. That’s why people didn’t hear from me for a long while. Then COVID also hit,” he added.
Jay Ghartey further revealed that he paid tribute to his late father through music, citing his songs ‘Kwaku’ and ‘To Love a Father’ as heartfelt dedications.
“I did a song titled Kwaku and To Love a Father. It’s a tribute song for my dad,” he said.
The musician also shared the inspiration behind his song ‘Cape Coast Superman’ explaining that it was written in memory of his father.
“Cape Coast Superman is a song in remembrance of my late dad. He would have had a big problem if he were buried in America because he wanted to be buried in Ghana,” Jay Ghartey explained.
