My father rejected me the day I was born.

Ghanaian musician Byno Ayoni, winner of the 2023 TV3 Mentor, has shared some of the sad experiences he had as a child.

During his appearance on the show Daybreak Hitz on May 8, 2024, he recounted the emotional journey of being abandoned by his father at birth due to his albinism and losing his mother three months later.

“I didn’t know my father when I was a child. According to my grandmother, when I was born, the man came to the hospital, saw me and told me: ‘We don’t have this in my family.’ disappointment, he died when I was just three months old,” he said.

Growing up under the care of his grandmother, he faced serious health problems and social discrimination.

“So my grandmother took responsibility. At the time, I was a sickly little girl. I got so sick, according to my grandmother and people who watched me grow up, that you could see food going down my stomach when I ate. That’s how sick was,” he added.

Byno also mentioned that despite his difficulties, his director introduced him to marching band at the age of five, sparking a love of music that would last a lifetime.

“I attended Holy Star Academy in Aflao. That is my basic primary school in Aflao. I didn’t have much problem with acceptance there because I was protected by the principal, and anyone who did anything wrong to me would be severely punished.

“It was because of him that I fell in love with music very early on. He made me join the band, the brass band. I was five years old at that time. And then the music started from there,” he said.

As he grew older, Byno realized that his uniqueness was not a curse but a gift that set him apart.

“Over time, I understood that it simply has to do with being in a society where you are the prominent person, looking different from everyone else,” he said.

His musical talent shined, leading him to victory on TV3’s Mentor and capturing the hearts of fans across Ghana.

ID/MAR

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