Okyeame Kwame Back In Love

After his relationship with actress, Nana Ama McBrown hit the rocks in 2004, Okyeame Kwame became afraid about opening up his heart and loving again; until he met Annica.

“Even though my relationship with Nana Ama ended amicably, I was afraid of what would happen in the next relationship I went into because I felt I might not be able to give my all especially if I carried my emotions from the past into it”, Okyeame Kwame told Showbiz. Then Annica came along and Okyeame's fears seem to have dissolved.

In their rosy days, Okyeame Kwame and Nana Ama appeared the perfect pair. He was a very popular and upwardly mobile musician. Nana Ama, the actress, had captured the hearts of many film enthusiasts with her beauty and presence on the screen in a number of hit films and for the celebrity couple, nothing could go wrong until bang! The bubble burst and they had to go their separate ways.

After three years, Okyeame Kwame can look forward to a walk down the aisle with Annica. “God willing, I hope to make her my wife before the year ends”, he says.

Although he would not talk about how they met (they are saving it for their wedding day), he willingly talked about everything that was special about her.

“What drew me to her the first time I met her was her quiet nature, she is very laid back and above all very committed.”

Like everyone else, Okyeame Kwame had certain basic qualities the woman of his heart had to have and it was quite interesting, “My ideal woman is the one who is committed to making sure that I'm all right in terms of taking care of me; she invests attention, time and energy into upgrading me.

She is that woman who though firm makes me lord of her heart. She is a possible homemaker and a person who understands that when it comes to love, the one who wants it must give it first and is focused enough to know the difference between the person I am and the character Okyeame Kwame and I believe I have found my ideal woman in Annica, she is everything I have ever wanted.”

What has even strengthened the relationship so much is the unconditional support from his family, “My family has no problem with her, they love her. They know what is best for me and they know that I have found the best so everything is all right with them.”

When Showbiz spoke to Annica, who is an M.A student in Business Administration at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, she said that her relationship with Kwame is as perfect as they come.

“It is everything I hoped it would be, in fact those who know us know it is a picture perfect relationship and the success is because there is no cheating on both sides. I cannot handle cheating at all and I believe it is what leads to the breaking up of a lot of relationships. So since we don't have that problem, everything is great.”

Like her man, Annica would also not talk about how they met but said that “I was on my way to Accra from Kumasi when I met him, we were not friends before we met, it was just a one time thing, we met and decided to go out.”

Since they began going out, she has become a Kumasi resident and has not been to Accra even though she is an Accra girl.

“The only time I was in Accra was when I worked with Guinness. It's all a matter of wanting to be with the person I love anywhere he is and that's why I have moved there. Besides that, I also school in Kumasi.”

Like most music loving people, she knew of who Okyeame Kwame was before they met. “I knew of Akyeame before I met him. The first time I heard of Akyeame I was about 14 or 15 and I loved their songs, I mean that, I'm not being patronising or trying to please him.”

And although she knew he was a celebrity, she had no reservations going into the relationship because “I am a person who checks a person for who that person is, not what he or she is and I know the difference between what he is and who he really is,” she said.

In spite of the fact that Kwame had dated a high profile personality before meeting her, Annica says that she did not feel any pressure because she was an 'ordinary' person.

“I am someone who doesn't feel that anybody towers over me so I did not feel that I had to fit into anybody's shoes in order to be loved. I thought that I was a whole lot of package on my own.”

If there is one thing that has made this relationship endure all this while it is compromise. “We are both very intelligent and focused and we work at making things work.

We know about the bad things and we discuss them and even talk about what we would do if it happens to us and that has helped a lot,” Annica said.

They can also count on the support of Annica's parents as well who have given their blessing to the relationship.

“The first time I took him home, he had dreadlocks and my dad called him 'mpesempese'. He told him that if he took them off, everything would be ok and when he did, they were alright with him.”

Okyeame Kwame was one half of the group Akyeame which burst onto the music scene in the 90s and churned out hits like Mesan Aba, Menko Meda among others.

When the group split in 2004, he pursued a solo career and released his first solo project that year. His second solo effort titled M'awensem was released this year and is already making waves with songs like Medo Mmaa and Woso.

Story by Linda Safoa Antwi