Cynthia Appiah-Kubi of Mentor II fame, known in showbiz as Cee, dropped out of school in senior secondary school form two, as a result of serious financial difficulties she faced after her father, who provided for her was deported from Germany in 1991.

The kind of difficultie she went through made her decide at a point to end her life but she was rescued by a neighbour who saw her gulping down a bottle of parazone.

According to her, at one point in time she and her siblings had to go their separate ways after they were callously ejected by one of their aunts, who offered her nuclear family accommodation.

She, however, maintained that even though she went through hell at that time, she did not compromise her moral upbringing. This, she said, was due to the strong religious and moral training she received from childhood.

Born on April 10, 1986, Cee took refuge at a church house, the House of Salvation, at Kwadaso Agric., a suburb of Kumasi.

It was while she was there that she conceived the idea to start a singing group, Shabo, which performed at funerals and other events in the metropolis and its environs for a fee.

It was through these activities that she discovered her potential as a singer and this motivated her to participate in the Mentor II Show.

Cee spent just six weeks in the Mentor House, before she was evicted, but that eviction did not deter her from what she sought to achieve in life as a songstress.

While in the House, Cee gradually worked hard and succeeded in overcoming the initial inferiority complex that gripped her the first day she stepped in Mentor House.

Her participation in Mentor II was highly coincidental, as a result of her inability to make the grade. Not even the multiple registration in three regions, Ashanti, Eastern and Western offered her a place in the final selection.

However, she was a last minute substitute for one of the house mates, who pulled out of the competition at the eleventh hour.

In a chat with The Mirror, Cee said: “It was my wish to participate in Mentor II, as a result of the excellent performance put up by Prince of Mentor I.

I discussed my intentions with him and he encouraged me to go ahead with my plans. I therefore registered in three regions all in a bid to qualify for the event.

I was in Ashanti, Eastern and Western regions, but I was not picked. I was made a standby in the Western Region so I had to return to Kumasi with pain and dejection.”

She said four days after the Western Region event, she heard on TV3 that she was to proceed to Accra to participate in the Mentor II Show.

“Initially, when I heard the news, I was excited, but later that excitement gave way to despair. I realised I had a huge hurdle to clear in order to make an impact in the House. First, I did not know Accra or the location of TV3.

I did not also have money and decent dresses that could take me to Accra and into the competition. I mustered up courage and approached a rich man in Kumasi, told him about my predicament and sought his assistance.

He had compassion on me and gave me ¢200,000. On arrival in the House, there were others who helped me and took me to the salon to have my hair styled and also took me to the boutique and bought me a few dresses.”

She stated that all the difficulties she went through unsettled her and impacted negatively on her performance. Cee, however, said she rediscovered her singing prowess when she performed Awurama Badu’s Konkom na maye.

She was reinvigorated because that won her some admirers until her sad eviction after nearly six months in Mentor House.

She explained that her poor educational background coupled with her poor family links made her feel inferior in the midst of her colleagues who came from rich homes and had an appreciable level of education.

According to her, singing English songs was tough for her because her English was not very good.

She told this reporter that she was hurt when she was evicted but believed that was God’s plan for her.

Now, Cee, together with Isaac (Showboy) of Mentor I, and Isaiah Kwadwo Ampong are the new gospel sensations. They have come out with Osabarima, which was released five months ago with the album doing quite well. Cee features prominently in all the songs on the album.

She maintains that life is a bit better after she relocated to Accra.