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Osomafo Yaw Sarpong is now better known simply as Yaw Sarpong, has come a long way in achieving what he has now.
Still, he has shown that it is always possible to find a way out, even in the most challenging situations. Yan Sarpong was born in Ghana. His father was a member of parliament at the time, but it was this profession that unfortunately led to his death. During Nkrumah's presidency, a coup d'etat took place, and Yaw Sarpong's father was imprisoned, where he later died. This was a severe blow to the family, and the boy's mother decided to move to Akyease in order to save her son. It was after the move that the boy's musical talent began to manifest itself.
Sarpong became interested in music at a young age, so he was soon noticed and invited to sing in a band that mainly performed Christian music. Although this group was founded by a doctor, he was able to gather a sufficient number of young talents and form a real gospel. It was from this moment that the young Sarpong fell in love with this genre. Together with this group, they performed not only in churches but also in many other institutions in which they were allowed to perform. It was these performances that changed the boy's future. During one of these speeches, a pastor approached Yan Sarpong and offered to take care of him. Given his difficult financial situation, Sarpong decided to take this opportunity.
He continued to perform in church groups for quite some time, and at one such performance, the young talent was noticed by Kofi Abraham, or better known as Prof. Kofi Abraham. By that time, Abraham had already earned a reputation as a great musician, and Sarpong agreed to go under his wing. Under his upbringing, Sarpong learned much more about the music industry. In 1981, he even managed to release his first album, entitled "Adesrede". Unfortunately, most people never found out about this album and several of his next albums, and in 1984 Yaw Sarpong decided to continue his journey on his own.
In search of a better life, he went to the capital of Ghana - Accra, but not finding his vocation there worked for three years as a taxi driver. During all these years while he worked as a taxi driver, he could not forget about music. During all these years of performances, he had become so accustomed to her that it was impossible to leave her. This desire to return to the music industry forced him to quit his job as a taxi driver and move to Liberia to start all over again. In 1986, after arriving in Liberia, he quickly had a desire to form his own band, with which he could continue to engage in Christian music. Fortunately, many wanted to join this group, and in the same 1986, Yaw Sarpong and The Asomafo were created. From the very beginning, this group could be called multinational because the group included people from Ghana, Liberia, and even Sierra Leone.
Almost immediately after the formation of the band, they began not only to sing existing gospel songs but also to compose their own. To their surprise, all the participants quickly merged into one real group that set itself the goal of praising God through songs. In the first 2 years of their performances, they managed to get their first share of popularity by performing in churches and by merely giving people cheerful songs. The fame of the new gospel band began to spread very quickly and later was heard about in both Ghana and Liberia. After some time, the band decided to move to Ghana, where they spend most of the time.
The most significant increase in popularity for them was in the early 2000s when they were known not only to a large number of ordinary listeners but also important people in the music business. In 1999, Yaw Sarpong and The Asomafo were able to win the Best Gospel Album nomination at ECRAG. Of course, this was not the only reward in their long career. One of the biggest awards for Sarpong was his wife Tiwaa, who has long been an integral part of the band and still always performs with him.
Although they are already very popular in the music business, the Asomafo have not changed their purpose over the years, and it is still essential for them to glorify God through their songs. Yaw Sarpong has repeatedly taken the initiative to perform for free in various churches or religious events and continues to do so whenever possible to this day. Yaw Sarpong himself has been involved in songwriting and melody creation for almost 40 years. Although the band’s composition has changed many times, they always tried to support the main task of the group and carry it through the years.
One of the most significant years for the band recently was 2017. The first event was Praiz Reloaded. For Yaw Sarpong himself, it was a special performance because on this day, he celebrated more than 40 years in gospel music. In such a long time in business, he understood many things, among which probably the main thing was to help those who need it so much. This prompted him to take part in the so-called Prison Project, which aims to improve and change the lives of prisoners in Nigeria. Part of this project also applies to Ghana. In addition to all this, Yan Sarpong himself, in the same 2017, received a doctorate in "spiritual music". The diploma was presented to him by ELBCA or better known as the Ecclesiastical Bishop Leaders Conference of Africa, from Kayiwa International University in Uganda.
For his music achievements over the years, in 2019, Sarpong received a special award in the "Lifetime Achievement" category.
It was presented at the Ghana Music Awards in London. Even though many performers’ financial situation has become much worse in 2020, including Yaw Sarpong, he will not back down from his primary mission. As at the very beginning of the band's creation, the main priority is always to create good music and preach the Christian way of life. No matter what obstacles stand in the way of Yaw Sarpong and The Asomafo, we can always expect real emotional gospel music from them.