Kevin Mensah, (a.k.a Scratch Khalifa) Talks To Us About Privé Night Club

Accra City Times: Good morning Kevin, thanks for granting us this interview. Aphrodisiac Nightclub is now known as Privé Night Club and when we found out you were one of the brains behind it, we couldn’t wait to interview you.

Kevin Mensah: The pleasure is mine.

Accra City Times: So tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you? What’s your background?

Kevin Mensah: Well, my name, as you know is Kevin Mensah, but most people know me as Scratch Khalifa, I don’t know why but maybe its because of my hair. In any case, I grew up in Ghana, and went to Mfantsipim School then went to South Africa for university and got into entertainment by throwing house parties when I came back to Ghana.

Accra City Times: How did you family feel about your foray into the entertainment business?

Kevin Mensah:  Well, my mom didn’t particularly like it and to appease her I started working with my Aunt in her travel agency. I got into radio at xfm and eventually we formed a group called GetFamiliar which started these weekly events at the Accra Mall called Friday Friends. After our event was recognized as the best weekly event in Ghana, I realized I needed a bigger challenge.

Accra City Times: Wow, that’s impressive. So how did you transition from that to managing Aphrodisiac? Did Confidence call you personally?

Kevin Mensah: Well, Confidence Haugen was speaking to someone about the challenges she was having running the club and I happened to be with the person at that time and as we spoke more about the club, I realized the challenge of running a club could be quite exciting. A few weeks later, I met with Ms Haugen and after speaking for a few hours, I was part of the management team at Aphrodisiac.

Accra City Times: So, what was your main strategy for moving Aphrodisiac back to its glory years?

Kevin Mensah: Well, Aphrodisiac has been in the game for a minute. And one of the main problems with having a successful club for so long is that people crave something new. So a nightclub has to be willing to reinvent itself to stay relevant and that’s what we want to do. We want to take all the tried and tested experiences that brought loyal customers whilst giving the brand a modern feel for the new generation.

Accra City Times: So at the moment, when you say Privé Lounge, you still need to say “formerly Aphrodisiac”. What this suggests to me is that the Aphrodisiac brand is still strong. Why change the name at all? And how has the club been doing since the name change?

Kevin Mensah: Our opening night was quite crazy. We had to turn away so many people just to ensure the safety of our patrons.  Yes, the Aphrodiac brand is strong but we knew it was time for a change.

The new name, Privé Lounge & Nightclub, we believe, is aligned with the new image we want to project of the brand. We’re excited to work with YFM on increasing the accessibility of Privé Lounge & NightClub through a partnership deal whilst continuing to deliver world class service to our executive clientele.

Accra City Times: So talks to us a little bit about your boss, Confidence Haugen. How heavily involved is she in the day to day management of the club?

Kevin Mensah: Confidence is a joy to work with. She still remains heavily involved in running all her businesses and I learn so much from working with her on a daily basis. She has been in the game a very long time and you must understand how brilliant she is as a businesswomen to be still relevant today. 

She has her club in Kumasi, her fashion label, Mamaga restaurant, I mean her drive for success is infectious and she is a talented businesswoman. She started from basically nothing to having all of this. She is a legend in entertainment business and that’s no exaggeration.

Accra City Times: That’s great to hear. So what’s the secret to your personal success?

Kevin Mensah: I have a strong core team. Sherif and Nick Johnson are my partners in everything I do. I always do everything with them and I don’t think I could do any of this without them.

Accra City Times:  Thank you for your time, Scratch. And all the best with the Club.

Kevin Mensah: Thank you, and come by anytime.

Source: Accra City Times