Ghanaian artiste Olivetheboy has opened up about the challenges he faced from his family when he decided to pursue music, revealing that his mother once threatened to have him arrested.

In a conversation on The Delay Show, the “GoodSin” hitmaker recounted how his mother, a teacher, was furious upon discovering online promotions of his debut single—especially since she thought he was still enrolled and attending classes at the University of Ghana.

“She called me the day before the release, asking why I was putting out a song without telling them. She said if I didn’t take the promos down, she was going to arrest me,” Olivetheboy recounted.

He explained that his decision to pursue music had been made in secret. Unknown to his parents, he had stopped going to lectures and was instead working with his producer in the studio.

“I just hit up my producer. We went to the studio a few weeks after I got to campus and started recording. So all along, they thought I was in school,” he said.

The singer, who was 18 at the time, said he believed his mother’s threat was empty since he was legally an adult. However, the reaction from his father, a pastor, added to the pressure.

“My dad also called me, talking a lot about me being a pastor’s son. It was a whole lot,” he said. “But sometimes, the mother actually has the power, so I managed to talk to my mum and she also talked to my dad.”

Despite the initial resistance, Olivetheboy shared that his parents have since come around and now fully support his musical journey, even showing up at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards to support him.

Born Joel Ofori Bonsu, Olivetheboy began his professional music career in 2020. His unique fusion of Ghanaian rhythms and Afrobeats has earned him recognition, including being named Apple Music’s Up Next Star in June 2023.