 How did you think your day was going to turn out? I was going to rise to the Africa Day article I was supposed to write. Okay. Did you start? The next moment. In my mind, I've started. The next moment, I'm in Osseko Amis bedroom. Osseko Amis studio? Studio, sorry. Hey, Osseko Amis bedroom saying? Sounds. Sounds. Yeah. Sounds. Anyway, so we're going to begin the conversation. Can I hold something? I am nervous. I want to hold something. You want to fidget? Yeah. I feel like I'm going to fidget. Can you imagine? Let me just, let me not. Thankfully, he doesn't interfere with the sound. All right. So if you want to fidget, you can fidget with something. Okay. But why are you nervous though? Believe it or not, in all the years that I've done journalism, this is my very first time in front of a camera. And because of this platform, and because of the kind of person I know you are, I know what kind of conversation may emerge from this. So I know that I may not be ready for it. Okay. Like I may be veering into places that I generally would not. But you still showed up? Yeah, I won. It had to happen, you know. Okay. I'm grateful that you showed up though. I have always been intrigued by the fact that there are no, there are not so many people in your space. But before we even get to your space, which will be discovered in a few seconds, who are you? I mean, you write. So usually writers, you can barely put a face to. So who are you? If somebody is watching this right now and they've probably seen your work, already your work, who are they looking at now? I'm generally the guy beside the guy. In the sense that I tell other people's stories. So I get to witness, people do great things. So I get to witness the guys. And I tell stories about the guys. So I'm the guy beside the guy. So you chronicle these activities. In pop culture, I would say there are superheroes and there are the folks that tell the stories of the superheroes. And you're one of those people. Yeah. How did you get there? Of course, cliche background. I've been writing since I was young enough to write. Then blah, blah, blah. Yeah. So that's my earliest memories of stuff like this. I come from a very musical family. My parents both love music. My mom has been in the choir for as long as I can remember. And I remember her playing music in the house a lot, same with my dad. And I remember her reading me or reading us the children bedtime stories. Some of these stories are still very vivid in my mind. I do know that these two things that I made, which is music and writing, I do know that I traced them all the way back to my childhood. To your childhood. To my childhood in Mampoubis and surrounding areas. It's not common to have bedtime stories. What kind of childhood did you have? Regular childhood, Charlie. Regular childhood. You think bedtime stories is regular childhood? I don't know. Maybe I was privileged, or we were privileged, because our parents, no matter how modest the household was, they emphasized reading and going to the library. And so they incorporated that culture into us at a very, very young age. And so when I grew old enough to realize that this is something I wanted to do, it wasn't so difficult because my mom, on such a day instead of letting us hang about the boys, she would send us to the library, you know? And I do, like I said, I remember her reading us bedtime stories and playing music in the house. She played a lot of music in the house. She would sometimes record her own music. Because I imagine that when you sing so much, you end up creating your own music. So I do remember her recording some of her stuff, you know? So these are memories from many, many years ago, when I was six years, seven years, eight years. So music writing and, you know, being around, why didn't you choose to be the singer or even a musician in writing terms? Of course. How did you get to... Every writer has visited or has played with the idea of wanting to become a musician. So I do know that on some days I wish I was a musician because music is so powerful. And music is such a beautiful... Anybody who is able to create music, essentially is doing the work of God. And so I don't know, but I have not been good at much else. I've not been good at any other thing. I've only been good at writing. And I do know that I enjoy music. I'm privileged that in Ghana, I can do these things and get paid for it. I cannot count a lot of other people who get to do this and get to be paid for it and get to, you know, go a reputation and, you know, all of that. What's your name? My name is Gabriel Maes Hansen. Why? It's fine. Your name is Gabriel Maes... Yeah, nobody has... You know, I laugh because my name means something now. And that's why saying it out loud makes me laugh because I feel like my name is gradually becoming the title as well. And of course, usually I hear other people mention my name. I don't mention my name. And so when I have to say my name out, it's funny. It gives me the jitters. When I get the jitters, I laugh. Is this some kind of imposter syndrome? Yeah, because I've known... Perhaps you could put it that way because I... Then when you say my name, it almost feels like it's another person, you know? Because the number of expectations that come with saying that name, oh, he's the guy who writes. He's the guy who does the interviews. You know what I'm saying? So yes, the name is the name. Okay, I understand. At what point did you start to realize that the name is the name? How long have you been doing this? 2014, 2013. That's when you started? Yeah, that's when some of my first articles started getting published properly. Of course, but before then, of course, on blogs and my Facebook page. But, you know, the graphic... Graphic Ghana Web... Like I said, E-new GH. This is 2014. Do you remember your first article? Do you remember how you were feeling about it being published clicks and live? I mean, I do remember, of course, in high school, so I'd send in articles to The Mirror, because The Mirror still is my favorite newspaper, and so I'd send articles. And then whenever my articles would appear, I do know the feeling that I've got and how I would race to the newsstand to go get a copy of the newspaper. You know what I mean? So I do remember that. And it's not so different from when I started publishing seriously, which is on E-new GH. And I do remember the very first... I think it was an article about Kofi Kenata. I'm not so sure. Either Kofi Kenata or Bisakide. Those are some of the earliest articles I got published, and I do know that I was very, very happy. Because I was teaching in... I'm not saying this story. No, I want to know. I'm not telling you this. So I was teaching... No, today's not the day. Okay. Today's not the day. But yeah. 2014. 2014. And I was very, very happy. Every time my articles would show, or like a musician I admired would reach out to me and say, oh, I like your... I like how you wrote, or I like how you told my story. I know how it made me feel. And for a long time, even before I started getting money for what I was writing, I knew that those were some of the things that were keeping me on. So that even when I was writing, I do remember that I had a blackberry, bold Z. Every time. Yeah, with a very terrible battery. So you write the article, and the phone dies, you have to rewrite the whole article. And you do know that I like writing 1,000, 5,000, 2,000 words. So you have to rewrite the whole article. But I do know that... But I always knew that when I wrote it and I submitted it and it came out, it was going to be worthwhile. So before money came... I'm not saying money has come proper, proper, calm down. Yeah, wow. But before I could do this for a living, I mean, those were the things that were keeping me. So you'd be... I do remember the first time when Obrafo called me, for example. I do remember that I woke up everybody in the house to tell them that Obrafo had called me. You know what I mean? So, yeah. I get to meet people that I admire, the makers of the music that I admire and tell their stories in a way that is beautiful in a way that honors them. Yeah. How does that make you feel? I like to ask this question a lot. How does that make you feel? Sometimes it makes me afraid. Why? Because these are both you've admired so much. And sometimes you are so scared that you may not tell the story right. Because this person is behind a huge catalogue, a catalogue that is legendary and you have to tell their story or you have to write about their music. That can be scary. At the same time, I do know that I enjoy music, so that's where I start from. I enjoy the work I'm writing about and so I go off of that and I try to be as honest, as genuine, as honorable to the craft and to its maker as possible. Yeah. What do you think makes your writing stand out? What do you think it is that makes your style what it is? And to the point that your name is becoming a title. What do you think it is? I don't know. Maybe I'll have an answer for you in a couple of years, but I do know that I'm not trying to be somebody else. For a long time, I wanted to write like my idols. Like who? Teju Ko, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Chimamanda, Chinua Chibi. You know, usual suspects. And a bunch of New York Times writers and Rolling Stone writers. Yeah. And of course, Malcolm Gladwell. Yes. You wanted to write like these people? Yes. And so every time I... Do you feel that your writing has elements of all those inspirations? Yes. I'm not too proud to admit that my writing is a reflection of everybody who has inspired me. Even my colleagues. Why are you not proud of her? I am not too proud to admit. Oh, yeah. I believe that my... I understand now. Because my work is homage to everybody who has inspired me. And even my colleagues around, like my colleagues who are still active, Oris, Gamely, Gary Orr-Smith, Phi Phi, Anna Mann. And a bunch of other guys whose work teach me so much. Obed Buffalo, of course. I should have mentioned Obed Buffalo first because Obed is like the guy. Yeah. So these are people who... I know that's a morbid... Sorry. I should include those names. Yeah. But you know what I mean? Like, so these are people I write with my contemporaries, my seniors, as well as those who have come and been long dead. Yeah. I don't know what sets my writing apart. But I do know that at this stage, I'm not trying to be somebody else. I'm not trying to write like Obed anymore. I'm not trying to write like Arnold anymore or Tiju Cole anymore or Oris or anybody. You found your voice? Yeah. Because... And I feel like it's by reading these guys and by trying to write like them that I've found my voice. Because when I write like them, I'm not being true to myself. It's just a lot of English and very little substance. Yeah. And so I read somewhere that you should write... you should find someone in your mind that you're comfortable with and write like you're talking to them. Who do you write to? And so when I started, I was writing to my tomb by the Gilbert because he was the person I was most comfortable with. Of course, over the years I've met beautiful women and I've engaged with beautiful women and been in love with beautiful women. I have written for them and some of my best work has happened as a result of me writing as well as writing to my girlfriend at the time or somebody I was having... somebody in whose bosom I was having nicely comforted. Okay, that's interesting. You surround yourself or you are surrounded by a virtue of the fact that you write for these people you're surrounded by musicians and music and you do experience and observe what the industry is about. What is your general overview of the art? I generally like to sidestep this question because I don't think that it's my place. Even as the observer? Yes, my place is to observe and to tell the story. Whatever happens is out of my my remit so if I'm writing about a prostitute I do not care that she's a prostitute my job is to write about her or him as honestly as possible. I cannot involve myself or worry about the morality of it or what can be better about it. I'm telling the story in a way that is as honest as human. I did not mean it in morality or implications of the things they do and how it affects society or them. I meant in reflection to your own realities. Again, I don't think it's my place to discuss. Number one because I don't talk about people who are richer than me and most of these musicians are richer than me. I feel like because it is art it's a very dicey thing to to give an overview of what you may be wrong in one year or two years. I feel like it's important to be present and to cherish this moment to be as present as possible and to be as honest to the stories as possible. I cannot talk about what they should be what it could be. That's not my place. My place is to document and curate what I see in a way that is as honest as convincing as human as truthful as honorable as possible. When you do experience what you do experience and you tell the truth in a way that you do don't you think that over time you build a certain amount of experience, wisdom and knowledge to be able to know what may be the reason why for example there is a decline in a certain genre or person and what the person could have done. Why is it that you still feel that it's not your place to be an activist of sorts in that sense. Why? Because I am not an activist. Every writer is an activist. I'm a storyteller. Every storyteller is an activist. I'm a human and you see that thing about art is not something you can make definite pronouncements about which is why because I have been wrong on a number of occasions when I've tried even in my closet to to say this thing about this artist or to say that's about that artist or to say this about this music trend or that music trend it is art it is here whether it's going to be here for the next year or the next decade art job or my job I feel is to document because especially in these parts documentation about the art it's scanty and so I'm lucky enough to document these stories and I try to document them in a way that is as true as possible. You don't write opinion pieces? I do opinion pieces but they are not they are not so critical of an artist or their work I do write about my observations but it's a way that is objective it's a way that is Are you afraid to be controversial? What is controversy to you? I don't do controversy So when do you know you are being controversial? I generally stay away from from a lot of Controversy? Yeah I generally stay away I stay clear from a lot of the chaos Is there a reason why yeah because I'm a storyteller I'm not the story you know what I mean today I notice that globally generalists have become the stars of the stories I don't want to get to a point where I am the star of the story I want to I want to tell the story of the star because we are not the real stars we are just privileged enough to like I said be the guys beside the guys who witness history on a daily basis I don't think it's a place to be the stars so I generally like to stay clear of a lot of the a lot of the activity you know tell the story be as truthful as you can then take a step back and if you do become inevitably I don't think it's inevitable I don't recognize as a star it's never going to happen because because I'm guarded enough to stay clear of certain things I'm not I don't care that I'm popular anyway luckily for me my name is good enough so when I when I go somewhere and I mention my name it's valuable enough so I don't have to be a star you know people recognize the name and recognize the work that's attached to the to the name I don't know okay I don't want to be a star it's not my thing so okay let's talk about being guarded you've mentioned that and staying away from I knew we were going to go there I'm not afraid bring it on daddy talk to me is it something or some experiences that have made you that way I don't know I think a person is a person is who they have become or a person is who they have experienced how did you how did you arrive here by living staying alive I do yeah I want you to share with us some of your experiences that have possibly caused because before somebody decides not to veer into certain things or do they may have been burnt or may have seen a lot of quote unquote burning being done to other people who I have seen a lot of burning I'm not I'm not going to deny that I've seen a lot of burning anybody anybody who's lived in Ghana anybody who's lived in the world and especially anybody who's lived in Ghana who's grown up the way we grew up has witnessed stuff but I'm not complaining about them I do know that my experiences both good and bad have brought me where I am and so yeah I embrace all of it you know okay as safe as you might be have you ever had a negative reaction to a story you wrote from the subject of the story oh yeah it's not the subject usually it's their fans you know over here a lot of artists pop stars have fanatics who don't care so much about they're even they are fans they are not even I have to choose my words very carefully now but they are fans that's a safe word they are fans and so they like you as long as you are seeing something positive about the person they love and when you see something that's critical of them or you see something that has not flattered them enough then you even though you're being objective and true exactly yeah so yeah but it's not I don't I don't write politics so I'm not so scared of I'm not so scared for my life you know I don't write I feel like those who do politics and those who do investigative work those are the guys who have to fear for their lives I'm safe and I like to stay away from all of it so I could be in a room and you know mind me but you don't know the face and so I mean until now but so that has kept me safe for some time and I've tried to be as like I said stay away from all the noise so that you don't have to worry about a lot okay I understand and you experiencing all these things it's like sometimes when you do you do your interview artists right yes that's what I've done all my life you get to find out a lot about them how does that play out for you in your own I feel like it makes me appreciate their work more it makes me realize that the art can come from a variety of places so when you see an artist on a bad day you know that all of that is going to go into a very good song you know what I'm saying so artists sacrifice their lives so we can have soundtracks to our lives is it a trend that you've noticed that most artists make art from their from dark places from dark experiences from those things that are relatable but the average person won't find worse too is this something you've noticed yeah but I wouldn't call that a trend because the trend is fleeting I feel like it's it's part of who they are it's part of their fabric they have to go to the dark places so they can tell the story best I mean they have to yeah I feel like they have to otherwise because the best love stories have come from the darkest places you know what I mean and the most touching stories have come from some of the most unflattering places and I feel like artists are the only people who are the only set of people who are one of one of a few groups of people or creatives who are willing to go and dig deep and find stuff that reflect exactly what you and I are going through even though they are not in the room with us or they did not wake up from the nightmare with us so I don't care that an artist has to put himself through a lot of why not why don't you care I shouldn't say I don't care I don't mind that they don't they don't live like the rest of us because I know that whatever they go through whatever they allow themselves to go through whatever they sacrifice is for us Do you think the arts would be affected if artists had healthier mental issues or healthier minds or healthier mental is it healthier mental health I I get your question but I don't know because some of the some of the best music has come from from artists who confess to having been in very very dark places some of my favorite writers drunkards they were drunkards their whole life you know what I mean and they were great writers so I saying so if they stop going through the things they go through they become like the rest of us would you rather they become the rest of us or would you rather them because it's a calling are you saying that art has to come from that place I'm not saying it has to I'm saying that most often than not or more often than not that's where it comes from pain is where an artist's voice comes from where does your art come from I don't know if I should call my work art it is because all I am is a mirror I'm reflecting what I see from the artist to I think you're an artist everybody else I think ok maybe everybody is an artist in there because when you meet an artist or when you listen to music you have to create a narrative out of it so your storytelling is an art so I guess in that way you could call me an artist yeah but I don't have to I don't have to deal with I don't have to go through saying bad experiences to write them I mean I reflect of course some of these songs remind me of my own bad experiences but at the end of the day that's what I'm supposed to do I'm supposed to to evoke stuff in you yeah I'm gonna go here what is you don't scare me my G no you don't scare me what is what is your take on having mental health conversations I mean there's there's a positive side and there's negative side do tell for one I'm super happy that in Africa Ghana mental health conversations are gradually becoming part of general social conversation so that's positive it means that when I'm going through something there will come a time when I won't have to worry about going to tell someone because I feel like over here all we have been all we are being taught sorry is to toughen up and deal with it my children when I give birth to them won't have to worry about being tough they just have to worry about being human so that's positive I do notice however that there seems to be as it's characteristic of a lot of puppy matters people tend to latch on to the word as a buzzword so that so that all of a sudden everybody is depressed they have one birthday and they are depressed and I worry that that trend that depression and mental health becoming a buzzword is going to be diluted so that so that people who are actually going through that will not be given the seriousness that they deserve so I worry about that I'm happy that mental health conversations are becoming more prominent but I worry that it's becoming a buzzword and people just want to latch on to it so yeah but let's see what happens in five years what about your mental health? what's the young Ghana writer without a bit of a bit of paranoia and mental health issues and how do you deal with that do you do does this conflict make you doubt whether or not what you're feeling is actually true or influenced by should I say the pseudo pop culture ness of these buzzwords being thrown around does it make you doubt? I don't know how I feel when it's 9pm or it's 10pm and I can't sleep and I have to go to the beach that is not something that is that's not something you can you can that's not something you can manufacture when you cannot when you are trying to stay away from your pillow because that's going to invoke a lot of terrible things so I don't know I don't know how that feels I don't know that between now and July 4th I'm going to have nightmares and I'm not maybe by the end of the conversation I'm going to review that but it's a very serious issue so that when I bring it up it's very it's very very serious and so I'm very concerned about bringing it up and you've given me a very good time right now so I don't want to mess up we are not going to mess up there's no right or wrong but let me say go back to the to the fact that I do know when I wake up and I'm having heart palpitations I don't know when when I can't write because there's stuff in my mind or there are voices in my in my head that I have not put to bed and I have to call somebody to drive me to the beach so I can you know who do you call in these times who's in your corner I've been lucky to to have another people in my corner of course unfortunately I'm not able to return I'm not able to return the favor the favor it's not a favor don't do me a favor because they deeply care about me so you're not able to return the kindness the kindness kindness is my favorite this week actually and it's funny that you bring it up but I do notice that it's better like I'm more effective from a distance I don't know what that means for me and my future but I don't you think okay I ask this question a lot and anybody who I have a conversation with that this comes up because I also do love having these conversations because I realize that after the conversations you realize that the person I've spoken to has offloaded a lot and they feel lighter and that for me is when enough so you you know you've been in my corner for some time you know you've called me enough so have you but I feel like have you it's all part of the human experience you can't I didn't ask my question I'm sorry daddy have you sought help I'm going to I'm going to but I do know that in the meantime I've been lucky to have a lot of people in my corner who who go out of their way to help me even when it is as a great person I'll call to them and I hope that a day will come when when I can I can show them gratitude gratitude or return kind return I don't know reciprocity I don't know if it's the return of kindness I don't know if gratitude is I have to be very careful with these words because these people are people I don't know from Adam they just see something in me and they are keen on seeing me thrive and succeed even if even if I don't pick their cause and I'm always brushing them away and all of that you know these are people that of course from my mom my dad my siblings to I mean to a lot of other people who are watching me right now and who are who know they are the ones I'm talking about and who shall remain unnamed that's okay do you mind telling us why you said you're going to have a tough time between now and 4th of July is it something you would want to share I should not have mentioned the 4th of July but you know I know but they don't I mean as a person grows they they face trials and tribulations and unfortunately for me 4th of July means something very significant for me so so yeah I'm not running away from it I'm you are I'm not otherwise I wouldn't be talking to you you know how long we wanted to have this conversation on camera yeah but whatever you said he's wondering why his demeanor changed you know so here's what it is he tried to dance around it here's what it is I don't think that anybody is comfortable with the idea of loss or even the the tendency of loss is when you come so close to losing something or somebody that is so close to you that changes your life forever everybody has gone through it or everybody's going to go through it at some point but like I said it is what it is it is what the human condition is condition is and I'm not running away from it I know what it is you know and I'm coping and I promise you that I'm going to get help and everybody knows that you put it out here that you're going to get help because we are I mean this can't be the end or the only conversation you do have so of course I want to return for a more triumphant conversation but it's not all bad for me I want to emphasize I noticed that when people start talking about these topics it tends to become very dark but for me overall I've had a very very good time on this earth I've been privileged to do what I love and be recognized for it I've been privileged to be loved by amazing amazing people it's time for my parents all the wisdom I've met along the journey and sometimes I wonder how how that even happens that makes me so happy and it makes me recognize that angels are watching over me so it's not all bad I've had a very good time I've had a very very good time it's not a sad story over here if you know where we come from it's been a very good it's been a very good one I know where you come from so I was going to ask a question in relation to some of the things you have mentioned in our conversation also for the mental health conversation versus religion I don't know what you feel about that angels are watching over me all those things how do you how does it play in your mind with your belief versus your physical mental health I mean I don't go to church as much anymore I don't have a very good excuse for that I do have a very good excuse for that because I know that a lot of my best writing happens on Sunday mornings and so it's just a ritual a lot of my my best writing happens on Sunday morning and so you know but of course I do remember as a five-year-old, as a four-year-old that my mom took us to church and I do know that a lot of the people a lot of my experiences have happened in church and so I don't know whether I like it or not consciously or unconsciously these things the things I pick up from teacher Hannah in the 10 and 11 year 9 and 10 class or my colleagues, Benjamin and Andrew you know whom I was whom I I met in church at 10 years old I don't know all these guys have influenced me and they are part of my journey and they have because you know when you grow up with someone like they help you to watch yourself they become a reflection exactly and help you mold your life so when when it's going bad you're like no it's not all bad when it's going good you're like yeah yeah it could be better as well yeah it could be better because you've seen Benjamin do it you've seen Gilbert do it you know what I mean so it means that it's easier to spare you on yeah so these are like I don't know angels in your definition yeah because I've been privileged to have a lot of angels a lot of angels okay um I know we're going to have another conversation more to your conversation I think this one in this office is a victory in my opinion that you actually opened up and spoke you know how long it's taking yeah so we shall have another conversation yeah especially updates on you getting help and how it's going versus how it's currently influencing your work my work your life and everything in between I'd love to know that yeah I would love to know that too yeah so when I find out you're going to find out exactly yeah so in the meantime we're going to end here and catch you again yeah thank you very much my pleasure