Ghanaian gospel artiste Sonnie Badu has opened up about the difficult period in his life when he was homeless in London, revealing how faith and a single breakthrough song changed his journey.
Speaking on Star FM’s Starr Chat, he recounted the moment he created one of his most popular songs while facing hardship and uncertainty.
“So when I came up with Open The Flood Gates, I was in a place where it’s either left or right. God, you got to do something. In London, I was homeless. I was sleeping in cars. “
He said his breakthrough mindset came after a conversation with his mentor, Lionel Peterson, who encouraged him to focus on impact rather than quantity of songs.
“I asked God for one song. And I had, Lionel Peterson, who was my mentor then. He told me something after he wrote Pisa and it became a big song. He said, son, all you need in your life is one song. You don’t need ten. He said, you just need one song to break through. “
Sonnie Badu also highlighted the influence of Peterson’s legacy, noting his historic breakthrough with Integrity Music as a source of inspiration.
“So Lionel was the first African to ever be recorded by Integrity Music and he broke through. So I so wanted to emulate what Lionel did. And I think he blessed me one way or the other. So, Baba is quite similar to peace, extremely similar. And that song literally opened the door for every young man in Africa “
