Acclaimed Ghanaian singer-songwriter Wiyaala has opened up about the rejections and backlash she faced in the early days of her music career.

Wiyaala, whose real name is Noella Wiyaala Nwadei, revealed this during an interview on 3FM Lounge on March 22, 2024, where she expressed her disappointment with the lack of acceptance from Ghanaians at home and the body shaming she went through.

This was in contrast to the support and love she received from the diaspora and international fans.

“The disappointing part was that immediately I stepped out, only Ghanaians living abroad accepted me. They just accepted me quickly but the authentic Ghanaians were not even minding me.

“They were like, ‘that girl, is she not a footballer?’ They were talking about how I’m going to beat somebody, my back is too flat and my body is too hard,” she said.

Wiyaala, however, said she leveraged the attention, even if negative, to boost her popularity and strategically focused her efforts on audiences abroad who valued her music.

“The flip side is that that made me popular, so I capitalised on that. There were certain things that I just knew that it was going to take years to try and convince anybody to accept me, so I just channelled my energy to the community of people in Ghana and outside that appreciated me,” she said.

This decision paid off, as Wiyaala has since garnered numerous awards and recognition, affirming her musical approach and talent.

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