Sister Deborah: ’Controversy has made me popular’

The artiste, whose popularity has soared in the last few years for her seemingly fame-hungry acts and jaw-dropping statements, says controversy is the secret behind her popularity in the world, especially in Ghana.

“I could agree that being controversial, as some people say, has made me popular, especially because of the Uncle Obama song, me agreeing to pre-marital sex on television, me saying marijuana is not a drug and releasing my artistic nude on social media,” the singer said when she took her turn on Infoboxx TV’s Moments.

Back in December, in Kim Kardashian-style, the Uncle Obama hit-maker, known in showbiz circles as Sister Debbie, tweeted a nude photo of herself lying in bed, a picture that went viral on social media and received mostly condemnation.

Touching on the nude picture, Sister Debbie said it’s only in Ghana that the photo ignited controversy, noting that there are a lot of models that post similar photos and even more revealing ones but people don’t say anything.

“At the end of the day, [my] nipples were not showing, vajayjay wasn’t showing… It didn’t cause anyone harm,” she said.

Although Sister Debbie entered Ghana’s world of showbiz as a model and participated in the Miss Malaika beauty pageant, she didn’t enjoy a lot of popularity until the release of her 2012 hit song Uncle Obama, which propelled her into the international limelight.

She’s since been grabbing headlines for what many at home in Ghana consider to be the wrong reasons. In 2013, at the Channel O Music Video Awards, Sister Debbie got eyes popping with her outrageous dress that revealed a lot of cleavage and left her almost naked.

And in February this year, the artiste stated in an interview with Infoboxdaily that marijuana is not a drug because it is basically not produced in a laboratory but is grown naturally.

So how does Sister Debbie feel about the controversy that seems to follow her every word and action?  She explained in this latest video: “When I do or say such [controversial] things, I’m just being myself and I have been taught to speak the truth. So as long as my truth isn’t hurting someone physically or emotionally, I don’t see a problem with it.”

She continued: “However, I understand that our society finds it controversial because we are taught to be timid…even if it’s the truth, to keep quiet.”

The singer, who also doubles as a television presenter, revealed that she does things with passion and seriousness, attributes responsible for her success in everything she does.

“I’m passionate about everything. Everything I do, I do it seriously, so you find people saying you’re not even a musician so how come your stuff always makes an impact? I don’t know, but I personally think once you are original and authentic, it helps you go far.”

On how she got into music, Sister Debbie credited her elder brother Wanlov and Pidgen Music executive Panji Anoff for helping her realize her musical talents.

She explained that during the time she was schooling in the United Kingdom, she would vocally back her brother whenever he was in the UK performing.  Eventually Wanlov pitched the idea to her of going into music herself.

The artiste, who’s currently promoting her Borla single, revealed that her songs are written by Wanlov, saying, “He writes all my songs for me. He’s a very good writer.”

Speaking about the controversial nature of her brother, she said: “People find him to be controversial, but at the end of the day he actually says things to provoke our thoughts and to make you think and reason. He never means any harm, but people misinterpret him.”

On her relationship status, Sister Debbie revealed that right now she’s focused on her career. “Sister Debbie intends to settle down at God’s time,” she said.  “I always advise young women out there not to go searching for someone. You focus on yourself, on your career and be somebody, and the right person will be attracted to you.”