For more than three decades, Daddy Lumba’s voice was part of daily life in Ghana: on trotros, at weddings, at funerals and in bars. When he died on 26 July 2025, many Ghanaians felt they had lost a member of the family.
Nsuta
Lumba was born Charles Kwadwo Fosu on 29 September 1964 in Nsuta, in the Ashanti Region. His father died when he was young. He attended Adu Gyamfi Senior High School in Jamasi before moving to Juaben Senior High School, where he led the school choir.
Germany
In 1983, he moved to Germany with the support of his girlfriend Theresa Abebrese and a teacher. Like many Ghanaians abroad at the time, he joined a growing community of migrant musicians.
Burger highlife
In Germany, Ghanaian musicians developed “burger highlife”, named after Hamburg. It mixed highlife with synthesisers, drum machines and disco influences. Lumba was one of its leading voices.
The Lumba Brothers
With fellow Ghanaian Nana Acheampong, he formed the Lumba Brothers. Their only studio album, Yee Ye Aka Akwantuom, was released in 1989 after financial delays. The title track became a hit in Ghana and is regarded as one of the most celebrated songs in highlife.
Solo career
After the Lumba Brothers split, Daddy Lumba released his debut solo album, Obi Ate Meso Buo, in 1990. It included the song “Theresa”, dedicated to his former girlfriend. The album was a success and launched a long solo career.
Hits and awards
Over the following decades, Lumba released many albums and hit songs, singing about love, money, family and life’s struggles. He won seven Ghana Music Awards and was widely regarded as one of highlife’s greatest songwriters.
A royal playlist
In 2025, his song “Mpempem Do Me” was included on a playlist curated by King Charles III for Commonwealth Day, a sign of how far his music had travelled.
His death
Lumba died on 26 July 2025, aged 60. Tributes poured in from musicians, politicians and fans across Ghana and the diaspora. Radio stations played his songs for days.
A catalogue for every moment
Ask Ghanaians for their favourite Daddy Lumba song and you will get a different answer each time. That may be the best measure of his career: he wrote a song for almost every moment of life, and people still reach for them.
