Showing posts with label Fame Management 101. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fame Management 101. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Who wants to be famous?


Fame is a vapor,
Popularity an accident,
Riches take wings.
Only one thing endures...
 CHARACTER

Who wants the crowd screaming their name, girls fainting and some pulling off their blouses just like that? Lol.

I bet you do.

Fame means celebrity, recognition, reputation and eminence.  You have to keep up with it.   There’s a price to be paid for being famous.  Fame isn’t just sweet to have, it comes with certain responsibilities.  Fame needs to be well managed because it could make or mar you. 

When you are successful, fame is inevitable. Fame is not a bad thing. It is how you handle it that matters.   

It’s good to be prepared for the top.  That’s why you need to ask yourself this question: “Can I handle it?” Here are a few situation and factors you would have to deal with when you are at the top and famous.


FANatics

The sign on their faces says ‘Handle with care’.  They are the best thing that ever happened to your music career.  They are a major reason why you do music in the first place.  So you can’t afford to toy with their emotions.

 Yes! They are emotional, about you.

Jeez!  They listen to you whenever they want to; whether in the morning, afternoon or night.  They can afford to listen to you wherever they want to- in the car, via their phone, computers etc. 

They listen to your words (lyrics) and they tap into your emotions.  

They have access to you and all there is about you via the very much available arms of media. 

They’ve got your poster on the wall of their rooms, your pictures as their PC wall paper and as their phone screensaver.  Yet, you expect a true fan not to get emotional when he/she sees you. I tire for you o.

You expect fans not to believe all you say or expect more of you.  You cannot expect them not to be disappointed when you make a mistake or when you’ve been linked with some scandal.

They’ll judge you. They’ll either criticize or defend you, depending on their various points of view. 

They‘ll talk about you like they know you so well, greet you like they know you so well.

That, my peeps is the power of communication, all boosted by the media and your music.

Do enjoy, these are the dividends of fame.

Get used to it.


The Press

Gee, they are in the business to sell.   To sell and be relevant, they need to ‘talk about’.  Talk about whom?  Well, anything and anyone that’s news.   And it could be YOU.  When you are recognized, you are potential news.   You are news when you stir the waters.  You know, when something new about you comes up. 

Also, when they are desperate they’ll invent a huge story out of a small incident of yours. 

In the beginning of your career, it is usually fun when you get that first interview or space in the papers.   And then, when you become big and successful, you get offended at the image tarnishing stories and rumors.

Take light (I mean, be cool).

It’s like that all over the world.  

It’s not exactly a ‘you’ problem; it’s a press duty.   


The Gossips

They will continue to fly.  Rumors will spread...like wild fire, baby!

Prepare your mind and entire being for this.

How you handle this is more important than the gossip itself.   You are a ‘visible’ person and it’s kind of more fun to talk about you.  Gossip about you will spread like wild fire-whether true or false.  This is why you need to have your own strong communication forces like your PR agent, website, blog and publicist to help you curb situations and wield it for your good.


The ‘Celebs are Saints’ mentality

You know, in your favor, I wonder why fans get shocked and disappointed whenever news reach them about their favorite celebs being involved in some embarrassing or awkward situation.

Celebs are human d’oh!   And I’m sure you do scream that inside of you that, “I’m human too-just like you” and you wish the public could just understand and accept this fact.

Well, only your celeb friends and family members might care about that.  So my advice is to do behave, ‘control your temper’ and don’t wash your dirty linens outside.


Freedom of movement

You could lose this entirely if you don’t handle your fame well.

Though, this depends on your level of success, acceptance (by the music market) and popularity.    Basically, you won’t be able to move freely like before.   But if you are well known, loved, accepted and seen as very successful;

You can’t walk a considerable distance before fans and admirers swarm around you.

The greedy ones keep demanding for money-like you have a money tree in your living room.

You could get mobbed.

You need to think about how you’re going to handle this.


Charity

Its puzzles me that some people believe that once you are on TV or in the papers, you are rich.  We both know that this is not necessarily true.   So, you might experience distant family members, friends and even strangers demand for financial aid.   

You need to let them understand that you are a ‘business’ and not a charity organization.

When you do have the money to give, set up a foundation that will handle this. Otherwise, you will discover that your expenses are consuming your income.

Be smart about this too.


Groupies and other babes who seriously want to get laid-by you.

Yes oh!  Them girls ‘come with your fame’ and they are of different sizes and with various intents.   Your gift makes you attractive.  Success is attractive-very attractive.  Your money is magnetic.  

Females are more emotional beings.  Female fans will fantasize more about you, especially in deeper and intense ways (Yeah!).    They’ll want to be in your bed.  Seriously, that’s the way this crazy bunch feel.  You will be shocked at the amount of girls who want you to just lay with them or the other way round (you know what I mean).

In short, plenty girls will like to hang around you like flies on a dead dog.

And when they do get a chance, they want to get close to you.

Some for the sex; to get laid

Some for the money and the sex; to get paid and laid (lol)

Some for the fame; you know, just to attach with you. So they can be seen with you and gain bragging rights.

While some, for the ‘baby’ and ‘never ending’ welfare package; to get their whooping share of your hard earned money.  They just g’as to be on your payroll and they won’t stop until you are their ‘baby daddy’.

Do brood on this too.

For someone who find this factor amusing, I am curious:

Just how many women can you get down with?

Remember, the more unplanned sex you have, the more the possibility of you being a ‘baby daddy’.  Boy, those chics are smart.  Here’s the analysis:

Unplanned sex beget unplanned kids, unplanned kids mean unplanned money is to be spent.

I rest my case. 

Now, who wants to be famous?

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Fame Management 101: Fame will find you. Build content first, package second.



Fame will find you. Build content first, package second.

“2face isn’t famous just because he is ‘humble’ innocent.    He is famous because he is 2F ‘ACE’.   He is 2F ‘ACE’ because he is hardworking, consistent and persistent.   He is constantly working on improving his music, especially his content and delivery”

Seeking fame before building your music content is like putting the cart before the horse.   And with this kind of arrangement, there is no progress. The horse will pull the cart backwards.  Your early search for fame will pull your career backwards.  So, learn to put first things first.


Fame will find you.....

...but first you need to understand that you are in the entertainment business.  You are into music so as to entertain or at least you are giving your gift of –singing, rapping- to people.   Hence you are giving first, and if they like what they hear and see, they’ll pay you attention.  It’s not magic – it’s reciprocity.

You can try to force your way to the forefront with aggressive publicity but you might probably not last long because your offering does not hold water.

You have to pay attention to details especially in your days of small beginning when you are not much known.   You’ve got to have something to offer.   Something different and unique or something better than what existing music acts are currently offering.

As an upcoming act, you should really care about your sound, your music, before any other.  You should always be thinking and working on ways to make better music, how to serve it to your fans, and how to communicate YOU (your image).

If you must publicize, it has to be something that corresponds with the growth of your career.  It must flow with the plan on ground.  You don’t have to be on every kind of ‘show’ trying to make yourself visible especially when you don’t have your music out there.  Of course, except you are at this place hustling for sponsors that will help push your career forward and not for the VIP section trying hard to rub shoulders with readymade celebs.


Build Content First

Ask:

What’ new? What’s hot?   How can I make what’s hot, hotter?

Listen to your tracks.  Would you dance to your songs if you weren’t the one who did them?    Would you buy them?

What’s your message?

What’s your sound? 

Ask: What do I want to be known for?

Try to find a producer you are comfortable with and work with him/her. And if you have your music ready, do all you can afford to get your music out there.  Make it available to the music loving public.


Package Second

Package is clothes for the body-the body being YOU and your music. YOU as a music brand have to come in a wrapper- in an attractive wrapper that will get to your target listeners if you have identified yours.    You can be deliberate about your packaging or you could just work on being presentable and acceptable.   Note that the Nigerian music industry is becoming more sophisticated than ever so you had better start planning how you want to present ‘you’ to the general public.   Packaging isn’t just about how you look but also about how you present YOU and your music.

Package is second because just like you need to wrap the wrapper round a gift, you need to package your gift of ‘new music’ to us.


For those upcoming acts who are always striving to be around celebrities especially just to feel among or to be recognized by them.  You need to answer these questions:

Are you in the music business just to tag along celebs?

Who would buy your music? Follow you on twitter?  Celebs or fans?



You should be gathering fans and not celebrity friends just yet.  You should be building ‘you’ a fanbase.   You know what?   Celebs will appreciate you more when they see or hear about your works- your good music.  They’ll ask of you, come for you and want you to hang out with them.   They would even do music with you.   


So set your priorities right.   


If you were more business like, you should even have it at the back of your mind that they are your competitors.  Your aim is to get to the top. Your being at the top might have to mean taking the spot of an existing music celeb who isn’t serving it anymore (like we’ve never seen that happen).   So stop tagging unnecessarily the poor celebs that are on the internet to push their music too.   Stop following them around in the club or at shows with your demo CDs (of course, unless he is recruiting) later to claim he /she stole your song/lyric/line or whatever.


Lastly, don’t forget that your music can put your name on every lip.  Your music could start ‘you’ fame.  Meanwhile, your consistent and excellent delivery could make it a lasting one.  


You, just know what you are doing.


You will succeed.


I will be here tomorrow (latest 12pm) with something fresh that would help you up.