At the finale of the 2016 MTN “Heroes of Change”, an initiative that seeks to celebrate individuals making impact in their communities, the line-up of performing artistes was no surprise; some of Ghana's finest musicians and performers including Becca, Kwabena Kwabena and saxophonist Steve Bedi were on the bill. However, one name, Abena, seemed vaguely familiar to many. To her credit though, Abena, whose real name is Christine Buckle, was not necessarily new to the spotlight. Just a few months earlier, she had been the runner up of MTN Hitmaker, a reality television show aimed at unearthing “the next big thing” in the music industry in Ghana. Yet her stock, especially on a stage this big, was largely unproven.
Christine has been singing for as long as she can remember. “I sang in public for the first time when I was five, at my grandmother’s birthday party,” she said. “I was comfortable singing, and it sounded good in my ears.” Since then, Christine has grown into a more polished musician. Her assured stage presence and calm demeanor compliment the powerful voice that flows from her. While waiting to get into college, Christine was looking for ways to grow as a singer. But when her mother suggested trying out for the MTN Hitmaker reality show, she was hesitant. “I didn’t want to be part of the whole reality show experience,” she said. However, she eventually agreed to her mother’s persistence.
In the midst of the theatrics that most reality shows are rapt with, Christine’s talent and confidence grew. Not only did she keep audiences spell bound, but also her performance raised the bar for women in the competition. By the time the competition ended, her second place was farther than any woman had attained at the competition. And at 18, she remains one of the youngest competitors to achieve that position.
While Christine was keeping audiences spellbound week in-week out during the competition, she had enrolled as a freshman at Ashesi. So she had to combine dealing with the wet-eared moments most freshmen go through, and the enduring demands of the competition, which by this time had garnered a national following. “Honestly, I was scared when I was going to come to school and also go for [the show], she said. "I prayed for strength.” Now she has learned how to combine her rigorous Business Administration major at Ashesi to her budding singing career.
Christine is not afraid anymore; she has set her sights set on greater things. “This is just the first step, so I can gain some recognition,” she says. Lately, when Christine sings, she takes the audience on a journey. “I wouldn’t say it is heaven specifically, but it’s such a beautiful place,“ she says. "There's just no negativity; but it's a space I can control.” And that is exactly what she did at the MTN Heroes of Change event.
By the time she was done singing, a breathtaking rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World”, there was no doubting whether she had earned the right to share this stage with Ghana’s finest. Her performance that night was a shoulder-to-shoulder act to Becca’s and Kwabena Kwabena’s. She has become force a to be reckoned with. As is her voice.