Veteran Ghanaian musician Gyedu-Blay Ambolley has stated that the growing reliance on technology in the studio is diminishing the originality, artistic discipline, and creativity of modern musicians.

Speaking on Joy Prime’s Prime Time show on Wednesday night,  the highlife pioneer criticized the wave of current music that prioritizes convenience over depth.

“It makes your music ‘sharp sharp’; it doesn’t last.” The term “sharp sharp,” he explained, refers to the fast-food style of music production that lacks soul, substance, and staying power.

For him, musicians must be patient to learn how to play instruments, study music theory, and perform live to foster originality, considering that music is a craft that requires discipline, mentorship, and cultural grounding.

Sharing his experience with younger artistes, he explained that, “When they send the music, I do my part, but after that, they don’t come back for me to listen to the entire song. Before I know it, it’s on air.”

He describes the experience as evidence of how impersonal and fragmented music-making has become.

Ambolley’s remarks come amid a wider conversation about the impact of AI, beat-generating software, and auto-tune on the integrity of music, both in Ghana and globally. For him, the issue isn’t with technology itself, but with how it’s being used. He urged young artists to embrace technology as a tool, not a replacement for skill, practice, and cultural connection.

Meanwhile, renowned Ghanaian Highlife musician, Amandzeba Nat Brew, discussed last year the challenges faced by Ghanaian music in breaking through international markets.

In an interview with Hitz FM on September 3, 2024, he reflected on a time when Ghanaian musicians were highly influential in Nigeria and Central Africa.Amandzeba observed that the current trend sees Ghanaian artists mimicking Nigerian styles rather than celebrating their own unique Ghanaian heritage.

“About three or four decades ago, eastern Nigeria was full of Ghanaian musicians. So you ask yourself, how were they able to make inroads across West Africa? And it even goes all the way up to Central Africa. And so I'm asking myself if Joe Mensah was so huge in Nigeria.

“Why is the situation now the reverse? The reason is that we are trying to sing like the Nigerians. The Nigerians accepted us because we came as Ghanaians. Now it's the opposite,” he said.

He questioned why Ghanaian musicians, who once dominated the music scene in Nigeria, are now struggling to gain similar traction.He used the example of Magic System's hit "Amoulanga" to illustrate his point, arguing that music's global appeal isn't tied to language.

Instead, it’s about the music’s simplicity and its ability to connect with listeners. He noted that the catchy nature of a song can overcome any language barriers, as seen with "Amoulanga," whose meaning remains a mystery but still resonates widely.

“Language is not a barrier. Take for example. Magic System did a song called Amoulanga. What's the meaning of Amoulanga? We don't know the meaning of Amoulanga and all of us were digging into it. Where is the barrier here?

“You don't need to look out for some kind of sophisticated arrangement or something. The simplicity of the rhythm or the lyrics can. If it is catchy, you can't stop it,” he said.

One member of the defunct music group Wutah, Afriyie, real name Frank Osei is also of the view that current crops of musicians are lazy due to the use of technology.

According to him, musicians nowadays have stopped employing voice trainers and coaches to help them train because technology is available to help them out.

“I think technology has made laziness set in so you don’t have people employing voice coaches, voice trainers like we did in the past,” he said during an interview.

In Afriyie’s words, technology has made music production exciting but he is still surprised some musicians cannot produce and write great songs.

“Technology has made music production more exciting and then easier unlike in the past so I’ll say that’s the best part of this era.

“Right now a lot of musicians don’t have time to sit and write great songs unlike before so now people are singing more hooks,” he said.

Citing an example with Kizz Daniel’s ‘cough’ he stated that he just used two words ‘Odo Yewu’ and only added the beat and once they get people jamming to it they are okay to release it for the public.

“Now they pick two words like Odo yewu and just place in more beats there and once you get the people jumping and dancing to it that’s it,” he ended.