Ghanaian international singer, Stephanie Benson is out with a new single off her upcoming collaborative project with young and talented musicians in Ghana. The track, Falling in Love, is a feel-good up tempo love song with an African twist in instrumentation, quite different from the R&B/Jazz Stephanie Benson is known for.
The accompanying video is a colourful blend of African dance and costume that reflect the song's energetic tempo. Directed by Abraham Ohene-Djan, it sees Stephanie trying to do the famous Azonto dance, and features the adorable son of Ghanaian rapper Okyeame Kwame showing some swag!
Stephanie, a gifted vocalist and performer who has performed mostly in Europe throughout her 20-year career, stole the hearts of many Ghanaians as a judge on Vodafone Icons: Divas Edition singing competition in 2011. Some of the contestants appear in this new video and provide backing vocals.
According to Stephanie, Falling in Love is the lead single to an exciting forthcoming project. She says, “This collaboration came about after the Vodafone Icons project ended and I realized some of the talented girls who didn’t win were still enthusiastic to pursue their dreams and needed a boost in their quest to become musicians, hence my decision to work with these talented ladies.”
Stephanie Benson was born and raised in Ghana where she began studying the piano at the tender age of 3. At the age of 8, she was sent to the National Academy of Music, where she also learned to play the violin and cello. During these early years Stephanie developed and honed her musical craft until at 14, when she moved to London following the death of her father. Under the watchful eye of her uncle in London, Stephanie channeled her energies on the piano, playing, to the extent that she got a residency singing and playing the piano at one on London’s famous nightclubs.
It was during this period that Stephanie was spotted by Peter Waterman who signed her to his label PWL. With PWL Stephanie released her first recorded single Now is the Time, which earned her a top 20 position on the UK dance charts. Stephanie started developing her writing skills and began writing and collaborating with other writer/artists including the likes of Andy Hill (Bucks Fizz), Terry Britton (Tina Turner) Danny Schogger (Celine Dion), Wayne Vaughn (Earth Wind and Fire), Rob Davis (Kylie Minogue), and Stevie Wonder among others.
Since then Stephanie has focussed on developing her live performances as a solo artist and with a full live band in support.
Stephanie is currently at the finishing stage of her studio collaboration with the Vodafone Icon contestants, so look out for that when it drops.
