Mzbel Drops her Old Image

Her style has evolved 180 degrees. She’s gone from the bubbly “16 Years’ midriff-bearing singer who has a penchant for very revealing outfits to modern glamour goddess. But whatever look she rocked at the time, Mzbel has never failed to turn heads with her eye-popping style.

Recently however, the controversial singer seems to have decided to embrace a more mature image veering away from her tight and very revealing outfits even when performing. She surprised patrons at the Legends And Legacy Ball held to honour Daddy Lumba last year, when she mounted the stage well-covered in a pretty white frilly number.

She also donned a yellow balloon dress with big sleeves to perform at the Red Lipsticks concert and at this year’s Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA), Mzbel hit the red carpet in a beautiful olive colour frock.

So what could have made the Awoso Me hit maker give up her former raunchy image? Talking to Graphic Showbiz last Tuesday, Mzbel said she is all grown up now and has to dress to suit her age.

“I am an adult. I am 32 years old and a mother of two so I can’t be dressing like a 16-year-old. I can’t see myself right now even wearing the things I used to wear five years ago.  Don’t get me wrong. I will still be sexy to catch attention though.

“ My style hasn’t changed because of what people were saying about me but I feel I am grown and I have to dress my age. After the VGMA, people were not sure if I was the one they saw. I guess they were expecting to see me in very skimpy clothes.

“ Infact, I wasn’t doing anything bad in those days. I was young and having fun. People didn’t understand me because what I was doing and wearing seemed new to them. Now people wear worse stuff and it is not surprising anymore because people are used to that now.”

According to Mzbel, real name Nana Akua Amoah, her fashion style isn’t the only aspect of her life seeing changes.“ Sometime ago, I didn’t care much about what was put out in the media about me. Anytime negative stories about me came up,  I told myself it was a phase that would pass away. I never bothered to give my side of the stories and they came back to haunt me so I have decided to put a stop to that approach. Now I care because it hurts my business.

She said she missed out on some business deals due to bad press. “ I have been approached by some mobile phone companies and other corporate bodies for endorsement deals only for them  to  back out at the last hour because of what they say they have read about me in the papers and on the Internet.They said they don’t want to be associated with a controversial artiste and didn’t want their brands to have any connection with me.

“ Hearing such things about you really hurts especially when most of the things written about you are not true representations. It is painful  when you are close to sealing a good deal and you are given excuses. I try to convince them. I keep pushing and pushing and I guess just to get me off their backs, they tell me they will get in touch but that never happens. I think it is high time the positive side of me gets out there.

“There are artistes who do worse things but go scot free because probably, their publicity is managed well. I am not a bad person. I support good causes, receive awards outside Ghana among others but nobody writes about those.”, she said.

Mzbel is currently in the studio working on her next album. Already she has released two singles—My Bonnet and Mama Sweet with their videos. “ I am doing singles now and hope to put them all together as an album by the end of the year. Other singles yet to be released are Show Me featuring Appietus and a remix of Awoso Me featuring Kesse.”, she added.