’16 years’ was inspired by conversations about rape and the girl child – Mzbel

Famous Ghanaian songstress Mzbel, has shared the story behind her popular song “16 years.”

In a recent interview on 3Music’s Big Conversation, the CEO of ‘Mzbel Music’ revealed that the song was inspired by conversations about the serious issues of rape and the vulnerability of young girls.

She explained that she observed the behavior of young girls she used to live within James Town and also heard Maame Dokono talking on the radio about rape.

These experiences led her to create the song. Mzbel mentioned that she came up with the song’s lyrics while she was in a taxi, listening to Maame Dokono discussing rape on the radio.

Mzbel said, “I was in a taxi when I came up with the lyrics. I used to live with many girls from James Town, so I observed how they talked and behaved. Maame Dokono was always on the radio talking about rape. One day, while we were in a taxi listening to Maame Dokono, I watched people’s reactions to the stories, and I came up with the song ’16 yrs’.”

She added, “I began writing the song in the taxi, and when I got home, I expanded on it, and that’s how it came together.” When asked if she expected the song to have such a big impact, Mzbel said, “Not at all, I didn’t even think it would become popular outside Ghana. I thought it was just another nice song I had created. But suddenly, it started spreading to Nigeria, Togo, and Equatorial Guinea.”

16 Years was one of Mzbel’s biggest song which pushed her to became one of the most influential musicians in Ghana.