Nigerian singer Paul Okoye, popularly known as Rudeboy and one half of the defunct P-Square duo, says social media has diminished the prestige musicians once enjoyed by eroding the mystique that surrounded them before its advent.
In a recent interview with Lun Lifestyle TV, Rudeboy argued that although social media has brought several benefits to the music industry, it has shattered the aura of mystery that once made artistes seem almost godlike to their fans.
He said this has reduced the excitement that previously greeted fans whenever they had the opportunity to see their favourite musicians, either in person or on screen.
The Reason With Me hitmaker further argued that the constant exposure of artistes on social media has reduced fans’ anticipation for music videos, making the production of such videos a questionable investment.
“Music videos, somehow, now, because of this generation, are a waste of money. I am sorry to say this. But do you remember us [P-Square] before? You didn’t see us anywhere. You just watched music videos, saw us and that was it, or we came to your country and you saw us.
“The reason you don’t see people faint for artistes anymore is because they see them on TikTok every day, dancing and promoting their music. If Michael Jackson were alive now and doing promotional content on social media, nobody would see him and faint.
“Unfortunately, it’s too late for us to bring back the era of artistes being mysterious. How can you advise an artiste to post every day? How? Post what? You don’t need to.
“Social media brought positive change to the industry, but it also led to ‘see-finish’. Artistes are now too exposed. Fans see how they eat and cry. Before, when artistes went to clubs, they stayed in restricted VIP areas, but now, when they are clubbing, everyone is filming.”
