NEVER RETIRE: Music Legend Says Retirement Kills Purpose—and That's Why She Keeps Singing.

Liberian music legend Miatta Fahnbulleh does not believe in retirement.For the, creativity has no expiry date.

Speaking with Kafui Dey, the 78-year-old singer explained why she continues making music decades after beginning her career.

“An artist does not retire,” she said.

Fahnbulleh believes that staying active and having something to look forward to is essential to living a meaningful life.

“People who retire, they die faster because you have nothing to look forward to. You have nothing to motivate you,” she said.

She compared artists to legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Miriam Makeba and Cesária Évora, who continued contributing to music throughout their lives.

For Fahnbulleh, inspiration still comes naturally.

She said that even when she reads about something interesting, she immediately begins thinking about lyrics and melodies.

Although she admits she sometimes forgets ideas the next morning, she now writes them down so she can return to them later.

After more than six decades in music, Fahnbulleh says she has no plans to stop.

As long as her voice remains, she intends to keep creating.

“Until my grandchildren tell me, ‘Grandma, stop singing,’” she said, “I will continue.”