A Liberian refugee who fled her tyrannical father and war-torn homeland with her mother when she was just seven years old has launched a pop career, drawing on her harrowing experiences for inspiration.

Annprincess Johnson Koffa, 27, whose father is Liberian politician and former rebel leader Prince Yormie Johnson, 66, told how she was kept under house arrest while her mother Anna Bargbe Koffa, 67, was in and out of prison for disobeying him.

After escaping one night under cover of darkness, the pair sought the help of the United Nations and found refuge in Norway where they began a new life.

Alongside holding down two jobs, as a pricing specialist for an internet services provider by day and a waitress by night, Annprincess is now pursuing a career in the music industry.

Annprincess Johnson Koffa, 27, a Liberian refuge living in Norway, has launched a music career, drawing on her harrowing experiences for inspiration

Prince Yormie Johnson, leader of the militant group Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia, posing with his weapon while occupying Monrovia in 1989

Annprincess, whose father (pictured with her when she was a child) is Liberian politician and former rebel leader Prince Yormie Johnson, 66, told how she was kept under house arrest as a child while her mother was in and out of prison for disobeying him

She refuses to hide away from her father - notorious for killing anyone who opposed or criticised his actions during the first Liberian Civil War, which took place between 1989 and 1997 - and his supporters.

And she says she has always drawn on the strength her mother has instilled in her to pursue her dreams.

Her latest single, Survive, is a fusion of pop and dance and she hopes to organise future concerts in the UK.

Annprincess told FEMAIL her ultimate goal is to one day 'have a toast with Beyonce at the Grammy Awards'.

After escaping one night under cover of darkness, Annprincess and Anna sought the help of the United Nations and found refuge in Norway where they began a new life

'No one is going to take a chance on you before you show them why they should,' she said.

'My goal is to release as much self-financed music as I can and create enough of a hype around me as a brand, and be an attractive player for the record labels.'

Speaking about her upbringing, Annprincess told how her father, whom she claims has more than 20 children by multiple partners, would regularly throw her mother in prison for refusing his demands and criticising his regime.

Who is Prince Yormie Jonhson? Father-of-12 Prince Yormie Johnson, 67, is a Liberian Senator and former warlord, who is famous for his role in the Liberian civil war of the late 1980s. Johnson was born in Nimba county, on 6 July 1952. Prince is a common name in the region and does not reflect a social status. He was the son of a hunter from the Gio tribe In the early '70s, Johnson joined the army and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming captain or lieutenant, according to conflicting sources. During his military career, Johnson sympathised with rebel forces opposing president Samuel Doe, who rose to power in 1980 after the death of former president William R. Tolbert Jr. In 1985, Johnson had to flee to the Ivory Coast after participating in a failed coup attempt, led by General Thomas Quiwonkpa against Samuel Doe. Prince Yormie Johnson, pictured in 1989, was a rebel leader, and had a harem of 20 women he lived with, including Annprincess' mother During his time in exile, Johnson reportedly spent his time chasing women and drinking heavily, and plotting his return to Liberia to stage another coup. He formed an alliance with fellow rebel leader Charles Taylor, and became chief training officer of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia. The group crossed the border from Ivory Coast on Christmas Eve, 1989, to begin their coup attempt in Liberia. In 1990, the conflict turned into a full-fledged civil war, with rebel factions controlling different parts of Liberia. However, Johnson broke rank with Taylor after a bitter fallout over looting claims, and he set up his own breakaway militant group, the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL). On 9 September 1990, Johnson's forces captured, tortured, mutilated and eventually killed president Samuel Doe. The gruesome execution was videotaped and broadcast around the world. It showed Johnson sipping on a beer and being fanned by an assistant as his men cut off Doe's ear. Following the assassination of Doe, Johnson made a claim to power that was eventually dismissed, as his former friend Charles Taylor consolidated dominance over other rebel factions. Amos Sawyer was elected president of Liberia and remained in power until March 1994. Taylor then assumed office, prompting Johnson to leave the country once again. Johnson eventually returned to Liberia after Taylor left office in 2004. He was elected senator for Nimba in 2005, and is still in office to this day. In June 2009, the final report of Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that Johnson should be included in a list of 50 people who should be 'specifically barred from holding public offices; elected or appointed for a period of thirty (30) years' for 'being associated with former warring factions.' There have been numerous calls over the years for Johnson to face trial for crimes committed during the period of Liberian political unrest in the 1980s In 2011, Johnson ran for president and came third. In a 2013 interview, Johnson said he was a born again Christian, and had quit alcohol, presenting himself as a 'father to the fatherless' Advertisement

'When I was little I remember putting myself to bed,' she recalled. 'I remember being told to go away by the other mothers. That was most nights of my life.

'My mother wasn't in a "relationship" with my father. He captured her and took her away from everything she knew, and she stayed with him for eight years.

'My father was never married to any of the women living in the house. I don't know if he's married now. My mother and I called them all ''his women''.'

The budding popstar, pictured with her mother Anna Bargbe Koffa, 67, currently holds down two jobs, as a pricing specialist for an internet services provider by day and a waitress by night

On the night they fled, they slept at Anna's friend's house before leaving the following morning on foot and walking until the evening.

Annprincess said: 'A little boy asked my mother if we were Liberians. He told her he knew of some Liberians living in a apartment and took us there, where my mother explained that we were looking for a place to stay for the night.

'They let us stay until the next morning, when Mom left me with them and went to the UN office, telling them that we were running away from my father.

'The UN picked me up and placed us in something called a guest house, which is temporary accommodation for people in need.'

Annprincess told FEMAIL her ultimate goal is to one day 'have a toast with Beyonce at the Grammy Awards'

Annprincess found solace in music, and her latest single, Survive, is a fusion of pop and dance. She said she hopes to organise future concerts in the UK

Her mother had to leave her three sons - Annprincess's half siblings - with her parents in Liberia to give the two of them a greater chance of survival.

'She couldn't bring them to Norway because they were in another town, far from where we where,' Annprincess explained.

She told how the UN in Nigeria put Anna in a program that helped single mothers flee to other countries for a better life.

'The application was sent to several countries and we waited a long time to be accepted by one of them,' Annprincess explained. 'We were finally accepted by Norway.'

When they arrived, the state granted them a one-bedroom apartment and put them in contact with fellow refugees. Annprincess learned the language within a year, helped by her mixing with Norwegian children.

Annprincess told how the UN in Nigeria put Anna in a program that helped single mothers flee to other countries for a better life

When Ann started working things became tougher for the pair, with the state cutting them off financially due to Anna receiving an income

'My mother still struggles a little bit with the language,' she admitted. 'She came to Norway in her 40s; it's not so easy to learn a new language at that age.'

But when her mother started working things became tougher for the two of them, with the state cutting them off financially due to Anna receiving an income.

'It was hard, she went to a Norwegian school for years to learn the basics,' Annprincess recalled. 'Then she went to nursing school for another three years to get her degree. She's now working as a nurse in a elderly home.

As she grew up, Annprincess told how her friends would point out differences about her body compared to theirs, such as her skin tone and larger features

'As I got older I became more and more aware of the differences around me and found it increasingly difficult to cope. My friends would point out differences about my body compared to theirs, like my bigger lips and nose.

'Some couldn't understand why I was brown but the insides of my palms were lighter, or why my hair looked the way it did and my hips were wider.

'The whole experience went from not understanding what people were saying and everyone treating us kindly, to finally understanding the language but having to defend the way i looked. It became more important to me to be liked and accepted.'

Now Annprincess and her mother live 10 minutes from each other and she wants her story to act as an inspiration to others to never give up in the pursuit of their dreams

Anna had to leave her three sons - Annprincess's half siblings - with her parents in Liberia to give the two of them a greater chance of survival

She found solace in music, having been told by a friend that she had a good singing voice.

Annprincess, who has more than 12,600 followers on Instagram, said: 'I practised for years listening to Celine Dion. But to be honest, I didn't really understand music when I was young. I wanted people to like me and thought I could impress them if I hit those big Celine Dion notes.'

Having grown up with a dysfunctional view of relationships, particularly those of the people closest to her, many of her self-penned lyrics are about failed interactions, overcoming obstacles and resilience.

Annprincess' single Survive is about a toxic relationship in which two lovers find commitment difficult, but leaving each other even harder

Now she and her mother live 10 minutes from each other and Annprincess - who has a degree in psychology and psychotherapy and is also a keen football player and coach - wants her story to act as an inspiration to others to never give up in the pursuit of their dreams.

Her single Survive is about a toxic relationship in which two lovers find commitment difficult, but leaving each other even harder.

Having already lived a life filled with incredible emotional and physical extremes, there are few who can question Annprincess's amazing survival instincts.