Music producer, David Kwamena Bolton, has urged artistes to build their career beyond feuds and controversies, to make a name for themselves for the long haul.
“Right now as musicians, we have been empowered so much that, you can actually become a global phenomenon without a record label.
“There are so many musicians out there who do not have any record deal but you go on Spotify and look at their streams, 10 million, 20 million, 50 million [views],” Mr Bolton said on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM.
For artistes to achieve that milestone without feuds, D’ Kaybee, as he is popularly known, said they need to build a fan base that they do not only connect with but stay true and relevant to.
According to him, the world has evolved so much that an artiste could use streaming platforms and have interactions with fans on social media to help create that connection.
Using Taylor Swift – the biggest recording artiste of 2019 – as an example, D’ Kaybee stated that the singer before social media became huge, used Facebook to have interaction with fans.
She shared her story and inspiration behind her works which gave her fan base, ‘the Swifties’, a part of her beyond the music. This, he, explained can leave a lasting memory of the artiste for fans to carry with them throughout the years.
“It’s all well and good listening to the music and enjoying it but you’d want to know the personality, life experiences the person have for them to be able to create that music,” D’ Kaybee told Andy Dosty, host of the show.
He said the artistes have to forego gimmicks and beefs while staying true to themselves, their music and their fans.
“I know some of our artistes have thrived on that (beefs) and that’s how they became big. But, If you want to sustain yourself as an artiste and not just being around for two, three [and] five years, you have to be able to connect directly to your fans,” he said.