Ghanaian singer Yaw Darling, who is up for the 2025 TGMA Unsung Artiste of the Year award, recently talked about why he prefers to be compared to another singer, Kuami Eugene, instead of Patapaa. He made these comments during an interview with Andy Dosty on a show called Showbiz Review Xtra.
Yaw Darling made it clear that he sees himself as a singer, while he thinks Patapaa is not in the same category. He said, “I am a singer; Patapaa is not a singer, and we all know that. I’d like to be compared to Kuami Eugene, who is one of the best singers in Ghana. I want to be compared to someone who sings, not someone who does a different style of music.”
When asked why he didn’t mention other artists, Yaw explained that Patapaa just popped into his head. He said, “Patapaa is a good musician, and he came to mind, but I think people took it differently. If I didn’t express myself well, I want to use this opportunity to apologize.”
Yaw Darling also talked about advice he received from media personality Sammy Flex, who suggested he should apologize to Patapaa. Yaw said he had already planned to apologize and would do it publicly on X (formerly Twitter) while he’s on tour in the Central Region.
Yaw Darling explained that he didn’t mean to offend anyone. He said, “I didn’t say it in a nice way, but I didn’t mean it negatively. I just wanted to say that I’d be happy to be compared to Kuami Eugene, who is one of the greatest singers in Ghana, rather than to Patapaa. But I think Patapaa’s talent is really great.”
When asked how Patapaa’s name came up, Yaw said, “We have some who make music and others who simply sing. Patapaa’s music is different, trendy, and just fun to dance to. But with my music, I take my time to write it, and that’s why I think it can be compared to Kuami Eugene’s and not Patapaa’s.”
He added, “I’m not saying Patapaa’s music isn’t good, but it’s just different from my style. I mentioned his name because I love his music and we’re both from the Central Region.”
The whole situation started when Yaw Darling shared his thoughts on being compared to other artists in the music world. He believes it’s a compliment to be compared to Kuami Eugene instead of Patapaa. However, this comment caused a lot of buzz online, with some fans thinking it was disrespectful to Patapaa’s music.