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For most university students, sitting through a lecture means counting down the minutes to lunch, fighting sleep or wondering whether the lecturer might suddenly announce a surprise test.
For Ghanaian singer Sefa, one ordinary lecture came with a rather unexpected interruption. Her phone buzzed, and waiting inside her Instagram DMs was a message from hip-hop heavyweight and music mogul D-Black.
Now, when a major music figure suddenly appears in your Instagram inbox with an opportunity that could change your life, a healthy dose of suspicion is probably a good thing.
Sefa was not about to assume the message was genuine simply because the account had a familiar name and a blue verification badge. She decided to do what any sensible student would do. She asked her lecturer to investigate.
The lecturer checked the profile, examined the verification badge and confirmed what Sefa was hoping to hear. The message was real.
D-Black explained that he had come across a video of Sefa singing online and had been impressed by her vocal ability. He revealed that he and hitmaker DJ Breezy were working on a new record label and wanted Sefa to join the project.
It was the kind of message that could make anyone forget they were sitting in a classroom.
But before making a life-changing decision, Sefa took the opportunity home to her mother.
Her mother’s advice was refreshingly simple: give it a try and see where it takes you.
With her mother’s blessing and confirmation that the Instagram message was not an elaborate prank, Sefa headed to the studio.
That first studio experience, however, came with its own dose of nerves.
She walked into a room filled with established male musicians she barely knew. She was new to the industry and the only woman in the room, so naturally, the pressure was real.
Rather than throwing her straight into the deep end, the team arranged a collaborative recording session between Sefa and reggae-dancehall artiste Epixode.
The musicians around her also played their part, offering encouragement and guidance as she tried to settle into an unfamiliar environment and find her confidence behind the microphone.
Then Sefa started singing.
And just like that, the questions disappeared.
Her voice did the talking.
The raw talent she had displayed online translated effortlessly into the studio, convincing the team that they had found something special.
What began as a routine university lecture had suddenly become an unexpected career audition. A simple Instagram notification had opened a door, her mother’s encouragement pushed her through it, and a studio session ultimately set the wheels in motion for her professional music career.
Sometimes, the biggest career opportunities do not arrive with a formal invitation or a carefully worded email.
Sometimes, they arrive as an Instagram DM while you are sitting in class wondering when the lecture will end.