Veteran highlife musician Ben Brako says highlife remains at the heart of Ghanaian music despite the emergence of newer genres.

Speaking on Throwback Thursday on Joy Prime, the legendary singer said highlife continues to hold a deep emotional connection with Ghanaians.

“I think that with highlife, when the song is old, it still resonates in Ghana, because Ghana is highlife,” he said.

Citing Kofi Kinaata as an example, Ben Brako praised the younger artiste for keeping the highlife flame alive in modern times.

“Kofi Kinaata is doing well, and it’s highlife. We’ve had many highlife hits since the so-called new music came up, but it’s all good,” he remarked, adding that every generation has its own musical identity.

The Mawie hitmaker said the diversity in musical styles should be appreciated, as it reflects the evolution of listeners’ tastes. He urged younger musicians to be bold and expressive in their creativity.

“I think they need a bit of rebelliousness, a bit of rawness, to be able to voice themselves out. It gives them the avenue to express what they believe in,” he explained.

Touching on his artistic philosophy, Ben Brako stressed the importance of projecting African identity through music. “The only thing is that as a Ghanaian, I would like to do more Ghanaian stuff, more African stuff than anything else,” he said.

Ben Brako also revealed his admiration for several current artistes. “I like Fameye, I like Stonebwoy, and I also like Shatta Wale and many more,” he added with a smile.