The treatment her mother meted out to her during her childhood days was frustrating – so much that she concluded it was influenced by sheer hatred.

Gospel musician Stella Aba Seal recounting how life was back in the day said it was not rosy. Taking her turn on ‘Restoration with Stacy’ monitored by GhanaWeb, the stylish songstress mentioned that she was compelled to assist her mother sell foodstuff in the morning before heading to school.

“It wasn’t pleasant growing up,” she said, obviously to the surprise of persons who may have thought otherwise. “I sold all kinds of things.”

“Usually, my mother will wake me up before 4am, we’ll go for bread from the bakers. I’ll go and sell early morning and rush to go to school. When I come back, my mother sells yam at the market; after selling at Mallam Atta market, she comes to Accra New Town station to sell to the workers.

"She didn’t want to pay for truck pusher because if she calculates the amount she’ll pay to the truck pusher every day and multiply it by the week… So she’ll tell me to come carry the yam after school and head to the station. I’ll do that, go back home to do my homework, go back to the market at about 9pm to help her to pack…

“She sold charcoal, kerosene, groundnut… You can’t afford to sleep. You’ll sleep? For what? She will pour water on you and wake you up. I thought she hated me. But when I became a woman of my own, I sleep at 12 midnight or 1am and wake up at 4am because I realized I was not lazy.”

Having triumphed and become an independent woman, Stella has encouraged persons who are overwhelmed with challenges to remain focused, keep trusting God and work towards changing the narrative.

She asserted that the economic quagmire experience should be a basis for one to be compassionate after an elevation.

“If you think life is beating you up, you’re selling and you look at other people driving their cars, I’m telling you that I’ve been there before. People don’t believe it because the scars don’t show on the skin. Either you use that to have mercy and compassion on people or rather become proud… If you’ve been in it before, I’m telling you that should rather create a well of compassion in your heart for people because it’s just by grace.”

Watch the full interview below.