For years, DEKSTA kept his music to himself, scared of what people online might say if he stepped into the spotlight. Today, the budding Hip-Hop and Afrofusion artiste is telling other young talents they are not alone.

According to DEKSTA, fear of mockery is quietly keeping some of Ghana’s most promising acts in the shadows.

 He believes shyness and self-doubt do more damage to rising artistes than most people realise, especially in an industry that demands you put yourself out there in ways many simply aren’t used to. 

Having battled the same fear himself before finding the courage to break out, he’s speaking from experience and not just observation.

“You are filled with thoughts of being made fun of, considering how the internet is today with all the cyber-bullying and trolling.  

Other times, you start doubting your talent and become afraid to put yourself out there. It is the fear of getting it wrong in front of an audience that could see and judge everything in real time”, he explained to the Graphic Showbiz on Tuesday, September 1.

DEKSTA remembers the early days all too well, when he recorded songs, he was too afraid to release.

“I grew up loving music because my father always played music at home. This got me exposed to different genres. I ,however, fell in love with Hip-Hop just before senior high school. 

“And when I got to the Bishop Herman College in 2019, I saw my school mates making music and realised I could do it too. One day, my friends and I left school to record a demo, titled No Fakes but I hid it because I wasn’t confident enough to allow anyone listen to it. Later, my friends secretly posted it on Audiomack and SoundCloud”, he shared.

Despite growing more self-assured, DEKSTA still found it hard to share his music until good feedback finally pushed him to take it seriously.

"Although the freestyles back in school gave me confidence in making music, sharing them with people was still a problem because I still doubted myself.

“So, I kept working on my confidence and practicing in silence until I felt ready. When I finally started sharing my music, the positive feedback encouraged me to take it seriously and I wished I had started earlier,” he disclosed.

And just when he thought he had overcome his lack of confidence, he was faced with another challenge. He received backlash that his sound was not ‘Ghanaian’ enough.

“At first, I struggled to accept that, but I realised my early influences came from foreign music, so, naturally, I ended up adopting what I was hearing. 

“But I worked on myself and that’s the sound people hear now. I like to believe my style is unique and ultimately, that’s what I set out to achieve,” he said.

DEKSTA now has two songs and a freestyle out. They are In Memoriam Freestyle which dropped in March this year, followed by Economy in April and Azula in August.

Amid the struggles, he shared a simple message with talented artistes still hiding in the shadows.

“Just start. I know it’s usually harder than it seems, but start small and the big things will come later. I started by just recording myself singing.

“And when I felt I was getting better, I made others listen to give me their opinions. The feedback was encouraging and my confidence kept growing.

“So, the thing is to believe in yourself first and then it’ll be easier for other people to believe in you,” he advised.