Giving support to our young talents

The issue of support for young talents is not new. The subject has been discussed time and again but it has again become important to highlight it for the collective interest of the arts and entertainment industry.

Showbiz is very familiar with the harsh environment the arts and entertainment industry operates in. This environment makes it difficult for up-and-coming artistes to progress because numerous challenges crush their dreams prematurely.

Many stories have been told of new artistes lamenting about struggling to get their work out because they lack the fundamental requirements to groom and master their craft.

The basics of getting support from famous artistes has even become a “mirage” for many new artistes who look up to the older ones and in the case of many hopefuls, they simply fade away because they are unable to weather the storm.

The  “swim or sink” attitude or approach by the more established stars towards new talents leaves the younger ones to their fate to either succeed or fail based on their own effort. That approach is simply misguided and smacks of short-sightedness.

Many media houses have found their own way of providing support for the young ones but obviously, that hasn’t been enough. That is why Showbiz is advocating that beyond the media exposure, these artistes need mentoring from experienced stars.

Showbiz will play its part by publicising the works of emerging talents but then again, a lot more is expected of established stars to play the roles of mentors, particularly through collaborative performances either live or in-studio.

Beyond that, institutional support is very essential to make the journey smooth for these young ones. This would enable them to also lend their talent to the industry. We will implore the well-established ones to sign them on to their Record labels.

The success story of Kofi Kinaata on Samini’s Highgrade Family record label is evidence of the importance of grooming young talents.