Q&A: Keeping up with Ghanaian talent extraordinaire, Modesta

One of the new and most exciting faces in the world of arts right now, aside from being totally Ghanaian of course, we couldn’t help but give you a healthy dose of Modesta’s rich personality and ambition, which to us is the icing on the cake.

If you happen to be late to the party, Modesta Boafo or @westafricandol

Read full articleas she’s widely known for her humongous following of over half a million on Instagram is the new name on the industry’s lips.

She’s a hyper talent, an accomplished influencer, entrepreneur, model and quite recently a steady rising actress and singer in the making simply put, a true socialite.

With Modesta, it’s all surprise, especially after a quick glance at her stunning résumé which boasts the likes of Ghana’s Bisa Kdei, to world-famous names such as; Kranium, Popcaan, Nick Cannon, Micheal Blackson, the Migos and frequent Kanye West collaborator, Consequence.

Modesta was born in Accra, Ghana in 1997 and spent most of her youthful years in Assin Achiase in the Western Region of Ghana before her family (herself included) emigrated to the Bronx, New York 11 years ago.

She has since then fully embraced her potential especially after rocking the internet with her rendition of the #RosalinaChallenge in 2018, fast-rising and hitting high notes, some of which have seen her star in the music videos of the aforementioned acts, alongside getting her big acting debut on Nick Cannon’s "Wild N Out" series.

But let’s not take the fun out of our very lively encounter with her, so sit back and keep on reading as we unravel the flamboyance of Modesta Boafo to you.

Get a hang of our 1-on-1 below:

1. Early childhood

● When and where were you born?

I was born on a Thursday, March 13th, 1997 in Ghana, West Africa.

● Who was the most influential person to you as a child?

You know growing up in Ghana with two parents that were always traveling wasn’t easy for me to understand as a child, however I will say the most influential person to me as a child was both my mother and my father. I saw firsthand how hard they both were working each day in order to provide for their young family.

Seeing them both waking up in the middle of the night just to get ready for work and having my auntie take me to school due to the fact that my parents were driven to achieve illustrated the value of work ethic and tireless resolve. Therefore, the most influential people in my life as a child have and will always be my parents.

● What is your earliest memory?

I will say my earliest memory was when my little brother and I had to move from the city to my grandmothers in the village because my dad and mom had to travel for work. Which was a huge transition for me and my little brother because we wanted to be with our parents.

2. High school

● What is your favorite sport?

I will say my favorite sports are soccer and volleyball. The reason why I love these two sports is because I played both back in middle and high school and did really well.

● What would people you know find surprising about you as a teen?

One thing I will say people will find surprising about me as a teen is I used to go to 2 to 3 different churches most Sundays to sing in their choirs. I really enjoy singing and I think a lot of people will find that surprising. I also love cooking because I’m a great cook and I enjoy sharing the recipes for west African cuisine.

● What was your favorite music in high school?

Overall, when it comes to music, I love all types of music because I find ways to connect with most of them, for example country music, pop, soulful, etc but my favorite person to listen to in high school was Celine Dion.

3. Family

● Who do you admire most in your family and why?

I will say one person I admire the most in my life is my mother. She may not even know, this is because my mom had to make hard life-changing decisions for herself and our family when I was five years old, and my little brother was one years old at that time.

My mom had to travel to the United States of America to pursue a better life financially in order to support her family and also to attend a private school in Ghana.

● Do you have siblings?

I do have one sibling and he is younger. His name is Michael Boafo and he is 19 years old.

● How do you describe yourself as a parent?

I will describe myself as a loving, encouraging, hard-working parent and a dream chaser because I won’t stop until I get what I want.

4. Love

● Have you ever married?

No, I have never been married.

5. General

● What is your definition of happiness?

My definition of happiness is knowing your purpose so you can accomplish your dreams, never giving up and doing what you love in the process. That is my definition of happiness.

● What is your greatest fear?

My greatest fear is not being able to accomplish my purpose on this planet.

● What accomplishment are you most proud of?

An accomplishment that I am most proud of I will say moving from the biggest city in the world, New York city to Los Angeles in the middle of COVID-19 not really knowing anyone or signed to any agency there and staying consistent in school because I was able graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in Media and Communication. These are my greatest accomplishments that I am most proud of.

6. Career

● What will be your ideal job?

Overall, I consider myself as a businesswoman however my ideal job is to own businesses around the world but also, I love acting, singing and influencing culture by studying trends before they appear on social media.

● What was your first job?

My first job ever was a rewarding experience. It was a coming-of-age opportunity the French call Savoir faire. I worked for a program called Summer Youth in the Bronx. I was a facilitator in a middle school teaching kids and taking them on trips.

● What are you most passionate about professionally? Personally?

What I’m passionate about professionally and personally is acting and music because it’s good business, I love and enjoy doing it, also because I’m good at it.

● What would you do even if you didn’t get paid to do it?

If I’m not getting paid then I’m going to do something that I’m going to get paid to do because I believe that time is money and if your time is not being respected then you don’t belong there.

● What are you surprisingly good at?

Surprising, I’m good at cooking, and I’m really good. Starting cooking at the age 8 when I moved to my grandmothers in the village.

● What’s the biggest proof that you’re good at what you do?

When you take a look at page the insights, I have Modesta’s Kitchen and that is where I have all the food that I make. I have pictures and videos of different dishes that I enjoy making.

● What’s your biggest accomplishment?

One of my biggest accomplishments is graduating during COVID-19 online with a Media Communication Bachelors Degree and moving from the Bronx to Los Angeles to pursue my dreams acting and singing.

● How did you start and how was your first experience in the industry?

I started with a dancing video called #RosalindaChallenge by BM and it went viral. People begun to see me as an entertainer and I started making more videos and taking pictures.

Photographers started reaching out to me to create content with me. My first experience in the industry I will say that was when I had the opportunity to be on "Wild ‘N Out" which was showcasing on VH1.

It was such a great experience because ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to be on there to represent the African community so they can believe that anything that they want to do is possible regardless of your skin complexion.

● You are a creative person; how has creativity impacted your life?

Being creative has impacted my life in so many good ways. Due to my creativeness, I am a CEO of my skin care company called Sheaonme. I created this brand when I was in high school. It’s all natural products that you need for your skin however is all skin types.

● How was the experience of sharing the screen with Hollywood A-listers?

I will say it was a dream come true because it has always been my dream to be on that big screen and having the opportunity to share the screen with such is an experience that I will never forget it’s a dream come true. Ever since I was a little, I knew I was photogenic and I didn’t entertain her because I make all my friends laugh even when I’m not trying.

● How do you manage your personal and professional life?

Time management is very important when you model, act, etc. I am with an agency in LA called MPM Models. They manage my bookings on LA castings. I managed my personal life this helps me to balance does two because I have an agent that I work with and agency that submit me for work so I am able to focus on my personal skills and interest.

● How long have you been working in your field?

I have been working on this field for 4 to 5 years now.

● What do you think success is easier to achieve, or it is not meant for everybody?

I do believe that to become successful is not easy, it takes a lot of work dedication and consistency to achieve anything in life, but is it meant for everybody Yes, it is.

To be successful depends on you, I always tell my love ones to never give up because in order to become successful and to achieve your dreams in life 1, you need to find your purpose, goals and stay consistent, well grounded and never give up. If you are able to do these things success is right there waiting for you.

● What are you complimented on most in your work?

What I am complimented most in my career is my skin complexion and my A facial and body look.

● Is there pressure to maintain the style?

There is pressure everywhere to maintain anything that you have to remember, you are not the only One on that field.

Also remember where you come from, who you are so you do not allow that pressure to change you or make you something that you are not. So yes, there is pressure to maintain any styles in this world. You just have to stay true to who you are and know your purpose and the outcome you want.

● How do you react when you receive a negative review about a performance?

Before I use to take negative reviews very personal and I will reply back after a while I noticed that those Comments doesn’t make me who I am matter fact they do not know who I am so I started ignoring the comments like that. When I feel extremely uncomfortable by the comment I delete them, I don’t take anything personal but I had to make sure that comment is not going to mess up my mental state.

● What techniques do you use to create a believable character?

I will say the technique I use to create a believable character is knowing my craft number one and to be able to I reflect back on my past experiences and transforming those feelings in my character to make it more realistic and believable.

● How does it feel to achieve success at such a young age?

It’s a blessing to achieve success at the age of 24 because I did not just wake up to get to where I am I dedicated a lot of time, consistency, efforts sleep etc. to be able to get to where I am today so I am very grateful to God for giving me the strength to achieve my dreams and there is more to come. And thanks to my mom for bringing me to the United States at a really early age to achieve those dreams.

● Anything in the works that you can talk about? Any exciting new projects?

I am working on different projects at the moment but one that I am really excited to talk about my first book: I am writing my first book and I cannot wait to share that journey with you guys.