Soul and Afrobeats singer Efya, sometimes called Big Dragon, has defined her relationship with her frequent collaborator Sarkodie.

“He’s a very good friend of mine, I respect and appreciate him,” she told Akua Sonto when the latter quizzed if her relationship with the rapper went beyond music.

Efya noted how tough being an independent artiste is and thus took the opportunity to hail Sarkodie for his stamina and unfolding legacy which covers about 20 years.

They conversed on Accra 100.5 FM’s Ayekoo Ayekoo, Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

Efya said Sarkodie “sometimes” helps her with writing songs.

“I don’t remember [the exact number] but they are a lot,” she added.

“Sometimes, we write together. Which is always better,” she said, explaining: “It’s because then there are influences on both sides.”

Sonto asked how the local music industry was currently faring.

“It’s cool. I mean, I believe everyone is doing what they can,” she answered, noting, however, that: “It’s not easy.”

Explaining, the singer-songwriter said the difficulty is financial.

“You need a lot of money if you want to do it right,” the Oluwa singer said, quickly sending kudos to “everyone that’s pushing [working hard] because we’re are the only ones that truly know how tough it is.”

Sonto wondered how tough it really is.

Efya broke down the financial commitment necessary for promoting just one song.

She said: “If you don’t have at least GHS60,000 you cannot shoot a [music] video nowadays – just one video. After that, you need to pay various stations to play the video, so if everyone will take about GHS10,000, do the calculations and ask yourself, how many TV stations are in this city alone, talk less of taking it nationwide.”

That is not all, she added: “You need to pay for advertisement on YouTube – there’s digital marketing as well”.

Shocking Sonto further, the trans-generational star said: “Ultimately, you may spend GHS100,000 on just one song and that does not take into account the production of the song i.e. buying the beat and paying the producer and the sound engineer. So it is not an easy job.”

Efya clarified that not everyone makes such hefty investments regarding one song. However, “if your music video is not shot in 4k [resolution], some TV stations will not play it.”

“It no child’s play. If you’re your own sponsor, you need to stand firm.

“So you need to congratulate and show respect to any independent artiste who has been in the industry for more than 5 years, and even hosts their own show in December.

“That’s one of the reasons I really respect Sarkodie because this work is not an easy task,” Jane Fara Fauzzier Afia Boafowaa Yahaya Awindor, alias Efya, exclaimed.

Apart from Sarkodie, Efya's worked with Wizkid, Edem, Bisa Kdei, Akwaboah, Adomaa, and many others. 

She's currently on a tour following the release of her 2023 EP titled No More Tears. According to her, she wrote all the songs on it chronicling some of her trials and eventual Oluwa (God)-assisted triumph.