Chief Executive Officer of Lynx Group Limited, Richie Mensah, has opened up about the intense criticism his mother faced for supporting his decision to pursue music over a career in medicine.

In an interview with Roselyn Felli on Joy Prime’s Changes, Richie shared how his choice to follow his passion for music at just 17 years old sparked backlash from people who believed he was throwing away a promising future.

“When I started my journey, I was 17 and a lot of people said I was too young. I finished senior high and had a conversation with my mum, telling her I wanted to do music and it was a big shocker because everybody expected me to go to medical school. I had that one year between, I said I was going to see what I can do within that time," he said.

Despite his young age, Richie’s mother backed his decision which drew harsh words from others.

 "Many people insulted and told her that she was allowing his son to waste his intelligence and future, why is he going to do music?, It’s not a good thing, go and do medicine and so on," he said.

During that gap year after SHS, Richie took a leap of faith. He set up a studio and began to immerse himself in the industry. His early journey and the backlash his mother faced eventually inspired one of his hit songs, Yaro.

“When I released my first song, many people didn’t believe I would go far or succeed. 'Yaro’ in Hausa means small boy. So I was saying ‘they say I be Yaro but they can’t contest the Yaro’,” he said.