“Yeah, I was targeted. Not that I felt it. I saw it. It was face to face,” Mzbel said. According to her, some influential figures within the entertainment industry allegedly used their positions to block opportunities that could have advanced her career.
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Mzbel has alleged that powerful industry “gatekeepers” deliberately worked to erase her from Ghana’s entertainment scene because of her bold image, fashion choices and outspoken personality.
The Ghanaian musician and media personality made the revelation in an interview with Kafui Dey, recalling a period in her career when she felt she was being systematically targeted rather than simply criticised.
“Yeah, I was targeted. Not that I felt it. I saw it. It was face to face,” Mzbel said.
According to her, some influential figures within the entertainment industry allegedly used their positions to block opportunities that could have advanced her career.
She described these individuals as the industry’s “gatekeepers” and claimed that their influence extended to opportunities outside Ghana.
“They are the… what they call, the gatekeepers,” she said.
Mzbel believes her image was a major reason for the backlash.
At the height of her career, her revealing outfits and energetic stage performances frequently became subjects of public debate.
She recalled one particular incident involving a female journalist who criticized her after watching her perform at a club.
Mzbel admitted she was deliberately provocative on stage.
“I was too naughty. I was licking my fingers. I was all over the stage. I was shaking my ass,” she recalled.
But according to Mzbel, the journalist’s criticism went beyond her performance and contributed to a damaging public image being created around her.
“She even added the word porn somewhere,” Mzbel said.
Eventually, she said, the description became even harsher.
“At some point, they could say I was walking pornography,” she recalled.
Mzbel said the label was part of a broader campaign that made her feel some people wanted her removed from the entertainment industry altogether.
“People meant to erase me because I am bad,” she said.
For Mzbel, the problem was not simply that people disliked her clothes or stage performances. She believes the criticism became a tool through which influential figures could undermine her career.
She recalled instances where opportunities appeared to be within reach, only for another artiste to allegedly be recommended instead.
The constant scrutiny also followed her into the media.
According to Mzbel, radio discussions about her appearance became so frequent that she began feeling uncomfortable in public.
“It made me uncomfortable because then when I go out into public and see people, I’m not sure who is nice and who is not nice because I always get attacked on radio,” she said.
Even a single performance could reportedly become a talking point if listeners disapproved of what she wore.
“Maybe I’ve done a show somewhere and they didn’t like what I was wearing. It’s a whole topic on radio,” she said.
Kafui Dey then asked Mzbel whether anyone in the media had stood up for her during that period.
Her answer was blunt.
“Nobody.”
When pressed on whether there was at least one person who supported her, Mzbel repeated:
“Nobody. Nobody.”
