Entertainment analyst Arnold Asamoah-Baidoo is of the view Joe Mettle should not break silence on Patience Nyarko’s outburst.
He posits that a move by Joe Mettle’s camp to respond to Patience Nyarko’s remark that he [Joe Mettle] will be in hot waters should the Church of Pentecost and the Methodist Church issue a directive that no musician should perform their songs again, will only truncate the “unsolicited hype” the award-winning artiste is enjoying.
“The reason Joe Mettle is not speaking is, he did not bring about this matter. Someone just mentioned him. What do we expect him to come and say?” he asked while making a submission on GhanaWeb TV’s Bloggers’ Forum.
“Patience is making Joe Mettle more popular. So if you’re a business-minded person like Joe Mettle, why would you want to thwart the process? You’ll sit and enjoy what is going on. I’m sure he is thinking, the same way it came, that’s the same way it will dwindle.”
Asamoah-Baidoo further mentioned that although Joe Mettle and Patience Nyarko are both gospel musicians, the controversy and the buzz it comes with is needed to grease the wheels of their careers.
“Somebody will say what is he going to do with the hype? That’s hogwash. Every entertainer needs hype,” he argued.
Patience Nyarko; Joe Mettle
Patience Nyarko lost her cool during a discussion on Onua FM, Saturday, as she felt insulted by a claim by a UK-based Ghanaian event organizer that Ghanaian gospel music relatively does not cross borders.
DJ Alordia of Alordia Promotions had argued that language has always been a factor hence, any time he organized an event with Ghanaian gospel musicians as performers, he struggled to break even. According to him, he did so on three occasions and the narrative was same.
He mentioned that patrons were mainly Ghanaians who understood the language, stressing that he did not get other nationals like Nigerians and South Africans attending. Citing Nigerian gospel musicians who use the pidgin language in most of their songs, Alordia said the diversity attracts lots of people from other countries in UK.
Alordia, however singled out Joe mettle, who uses the English language in some of his works.
“Joe Mettle is not where people want us to believe he is. The way people want to lift him above all of us, they will give him problem. He is not yet there. People want us to believe he is better than all of us gospel musicians in Ghana,” Patience Nyarko retorted.
“Apart from Joe Mettle singing Pentecost and Methodist songs, how many English songs has he composed and you want to disrespect some of us that write our own songs.”
Although she has been chided by a section of the public over what they describe as ‘unsavory remarks’, her resolve to not apologise stands erect.
Asamoah-Baidoo believes two things could be informing her decision.
“Patience Nyarko is on a media tour. She is the hottest case now. Almost every radio, TV presenter wants to talk to Patience Nyarko. If Patience should apologise now, that kills whatever media run she’s going through. But the moment she continues to maintain that stance, everybody would want to figure out why. From where I sit, it’s a strategy.
“Secondly, I think she’s getting support low key from some elements within the gospel fraternity. The only reason somebody like Patience Nyarko will be emboldened to maintain that stance, is when she has support,” he told host, Abrantepa.
He however mentioned he does not "subscribe to the notion that Joe Mettle is the only appealing or alluring artiste in the last couple of years."
Watch the full show below: