Philipa Baafi, the 27 year old singer, songwriter, musician and philanthropist is a native of Manhyia, a community which is about 50 minutes drive from Kumasi, the regional capital of Ashanti. Touted as the queen of gospel icons, Philipa sees her career more as a ministry than a mere profession. Philipa is one of a handful of superstars who can still shift merchandise to their favour even when they have not released a new project for a relatively long time.

Singing started for her when she was just an infant in a basic school. This was very much against the wishes of her parents, her mother particularly. She however continued the musical talent through her secondary school (St. Monica’s Secondary School) at Mampong where she still had time for her singing even when she was in her final year. By the time she completed school in 2000 she had recorded her first album as the Head girl, “Nyame Honhom sane” which literally means Descend upon us, Thou Holy Ghost.

Life for her after school was not quite rosy since it had even taken the grace of God and some philanthropists to help her through her secondary education. She lost both parents whilst in school.

At the tender age of eighteen (18) she was left with two younger siblings, besides herself, to look after. So, despite the fact that her brilliance had gained her part scholarship to attend the University of Huddersfeld in the United Kingdom (UK) she could not take advantage of it due to the financial constraints.

With the dream of entering the University suspended at the time, she managed to enroll into the FC Institute of Beauty and Skin Therapy to pursue a diploma. Through life’s changing scenes she managed to still come out with two albums within this period namely ‘Mogya n’akasa’, meaning The Blood that speaks, in 2002, and Okyeso Nyame, meaning The Great Provider, in 2003. These albums reminisced exactly what Philipa was going through at the time; lack, desertion, pressure from peers and the elderly, scorn, and a general feeling of rejection.

Though these songs were not real ‘hits’ in the sense of the word, Philipa still persevered; and in 2004 she came out with her hit album ‘Yesu ye me Last stop’ which means Jesus is my final refuge.

Her ability to combine Pidgin English with the local dialect made it very easy for her to penetrate even the Nigerian market, and of course, the whole West Africa sub-region.

This was indeed the beginning of the heights Philipa would reach since the popularity of the album propelled her to greatness and enabled her to rightly occupy a place among the most appreciated of the gospel greats in Ghana.

The uniqueness of her talent and the dexterity she had for composing, coupled with her ability to direct and sing her own songs were again evident in 2006, when she came out with another album ‘Meyi makyea’ or I go dance which became an instant hit. Last month, she released yet another album which within the month has started making entry into various musical charts in the country, very rare in this side of the world.

Philipa is a rare combination of great physical beauty and intense happiness and this makes her a figure that everyone wants to love and cherish; a good product, so to say, that can sit on a shelf and sell well.

She has performed on many different stages in West Africa, South Africa and Europe. ‘People can make a lot of money from her’, was the remark made by the production manager of EMI, a production company, in South Africa when Philipa and her manager were invited to a show in Johannesburg.

Everyone wants a piece of Philipa. Photographers chase after her smile and with the advent / introduction of camera phones always her fans would want to obtain something that would get them that little bit closer to her. Most often, guides would have to be around her when she walks in town but especially when she is on stage performing.

Within the last eighteen (18) months, she has appeared twice on the front page of unarguably one of the best weekly newspapers in Ghana, The Weekly Mirror. A quick check at the offices of the Graphic Communications Group, the publishers of the paper and will be enough to amaze everybody as to the volume of sales which were realized on the days those weeklies were published.

Philipa has been able to hold on to a loyal army of fans both within and outside Ghana, Christians and non-Christians, young and old alike, for whom every album she releases is a must-have. And she has a string of conspiracy theories that make people want to know more about her.

Philipa has a passion for kids especially the orphaned and the disadvantaged which must have been generated by her own peculiar experiences from her teenage years. She is even now looking at the possibility of setting up a foundation only for orphans and the vulnerable, or at the least or partnering with an orphanage to help mentor and support such children emotionally and where practicable financially for them to also realize their potential.

Philipa is married to Mr. Kwame Karikari, the Marketing Manager of the Local Organising Committee of GHANA 2008 Africa Cup of Nations (ACN). The two are happily living together in Accra, the capital of Ghana. They fellowship with the Calvary Baptist Church at Adabraka, a suburb of Accra.