Queen of Highlife, Asabia Cropper, exudes grace and charm anytime she takes to the stage and she was in her element once again at the last Highlife Heritage Monthly Concert on June 13 at the Backpass Restaurant in Accra.
Backed by the New Ramblers Band led by Jerry Hanson Jr at the free concert, Queen Asabia sang, played her soprano saxophone and talked about how important our music and culture are to our identity as a people.
“We know people love Highlife and dance whenever it is played. It is not something you grow out of. It rather grows with you and gets cherished more and more as the years wear on,” Queen Asabia said. “It is ours and something to treasure at all times.”
She has been a long-term advocate for Highlife and Kente. Hailing from Manya Krobo in the Eastern Region, Klo mue (Krobo beads) are treasured items that have also captured her attention to a great extent.
She explained a few things about them at the Backpass Restaurant event.
She also mentioned a recent trip to the Netherlands with her brother, Kenteman, for a Mother’s Day concert, during which she dedicated Klo mue to all mothers and women around the world.
Queen Asabia adorned the Backpass Restaurant manager, Naana Osei-Kwaku affectionally called Mama Backpass, with some Klo mue for her interest in helping keep Highlife alive.
Other performers at the well-attended event were Highlife singer Nii Nartey Commodore, widely known in Ghanaian music circles as Governor Mo and guitarist Kwesi Dankwa’s Dzidudu Orchestra.
She announced that the concert series would feature performances by different generations of Highlife exponents, enabling the public to appreciate the genre's breadth.
The Highlife Heritage Monthly Concert series was instituted last year by some Highlife enthusiasts in partnership with the management of the Backpass Restaurant, to help keep Highlife on the front burner in all our deliberations about popular music.
The series is supported by the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, the International Library of African Music and the Backpass Restaurant.
The next edition is slated for July 11, 2026.
