‘High branding’ not preserve of secular acts -Kofi Sarpong

AWARD-winning Gospel artiste, Kofi Sarpong, believes ‘high branding’ is not the preserve of secular artistes because Gospel music is not a cheap commodity.

He, therefore, disagrees with industry players who have taken a strong stance against the strong image and brand-building of Gospel artistes because he sees it as unjustified in an era where things are fast changing.

According to Kofi Sarpong in a recent interview with Graphic Showbiz, several Gospel musicians have been cowed into ‘compulsory meekness’ to portray an image that is thought to be their ‘hallmark’.

“It’s very difficult to talk about these things without being wrongly labelled but I think we need to let people understand that times are changing and if we continue to hold Ghanaian Gospel artists to certain standards, the sector will dearly pay for it.

“For me, I think it’s disheartening that while secular artistes are inventing new ways of making their music attractive, building their images and making their brands strong, the Gospel music industry seems to be crawling on its knees.

“Times are changing and that is why now people even hold online church services. Some people may not have been to their church even after the COVID-19 pandemic but they fellowship online every Sunday.

“This should tell us that the world is not static, it’s dynamic and those days when Gospel artistes were thought to be ‘colo’ are long gone. Besides, we can’t assume that Gospel music audiences are all Christians or God-fearing so you need to get their attention first before even getting your message across.

“So in the case where the audience doesn’t even find you worthy to pay attention to because you lack certain things he/she is looking for, how do you make progress?” he questioned. 

Kofi Sarpong’s submissions add to the simmering conversations about how some Gospel artistes, especially the females are drawing attention to themselves rather than their messages in the name of ‘high branding’ by their way of dressing. 

In an interview with Graphic Showbiz last year, Gospel singer Patience Nyarko sparked discussions with her assertions that some of her colleagues were pushing God to play second fiddle in the name of ‘high branding’.

Interestingly, another Gospel singer, Lenny Akpadie, recently vehemently bashed some Gospel artistes for drawing attention to themselves with what he claims to be the carnal way of dressing, diluting the spirituality of Gospel music.

While Kofi Sarpong didn’t respond directly to their views, he explained to Graphic Showbiz that people were entitled to their opinions but he wanted to erase the perception that Gospel music is a cheap commodity.

“Let’s not limit the discussion to just clothes but open it up to how strong branding goes a long way to increase the fortunes of Gospel artistes. Today, Diana Hamilton is a brand ambassador for Enterprise Life because of the image she has built in addition to her music.

“Likewise a few others have caught the eyes of corporate Ghana and I don’t think Diana or any other artiste would have landed such a deal if they had a ‘poor appearance’. Yes, their songs may be spiritual and all that but after that, what next? he queried.

“Today, Gospel artistes travel to good locations to shoot videos, they are leaving behind the old ways of standing in front of churches, shrubs and fountains to shoot videos. We are making progress and so we halt the progress when we limit the discussion to just dressing,” he stated. 

Kofi Sarpong’s first song of the year 2024, Yehowa, featuring Diana Hamilton drops tomorrow, Friday, March 29.