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TEN THINGS KENYAN MUSICIANS CAN LEARN FROM THE 2017 ELECTIONS:



1. A strong social media following does not automatically translate into genuine support from the larger Kenyan demographic. Social media is deceptive as it is intrusive and most people on your timeline are there for gossip, to kill boredom or to study your lifestyle. Comments and likes hardly ever match sales, downloads, views or an automatic financial upgrade. 

2. The lack of a legacy and passing down talents to posterity is an automatic recipe for oblivion. In the same manner we have kingpins in politics, artistes also need to think about grooming their ideological lineages and creating contingency plans for their brands. Ignore if you are in the game for quick bucks and a few moments of fame. 

3. Pride always comes before a fall. Some of you have become assholes after being blessed with good fortune in your careers to the extent you spit on your humble beginnings and other struggling artistes. Humility is not the same thing as weakness. Differentiate and adjust accordingly. There is nothing that the universe loves better than humbling the haughty. 

4. Stepping into the uncertain artistic waters without a proper strategy is like standing in the middle of a highway and expecting not to get crashed. Have a short term and long term plan. Study the market. Know your audience. Think about how you will sustain yourself in between time before your art can finally pay you. Gone are the days when good music made superstars overnight. Leave the stuff of instant fame to the comedians, meme makers and bored, opportunistic media. 

5. Expect a roller coaster ride from time to time and toughen your spirit accordingly. No matter how successful you are, trials, obstacles, fallouts and mixed feelings are bound to surface from time to time. Stand with your brand consistently not matter what. Do not be a wimp. Nature has no room for the wavering. 

6. Create your alliances with caution. Only your best friend can know your secrets and only them can reveal it. Not everybody who wants to do a collaboration is genuine or worth the trouble. Not every publication using your name to sell newspapers is interested in your well-being. Not every radio host is your friend. Neither is the blogger using your brand to get traffic to their blog. The same people who shower you with praise when you are thriving are the same ones who gossip and mock you when you are down. Be careful. 

7. Invest thoroughly in your brand. Your brand is the public you; the perception through which your potential markets view you. Having a great message is not equivalent to having a successful brand although it counts somewhat. Lasting brands take years to build but moments to destroy. The key once again lies in understanding the needs of your market segment and positioning yourself realistically in accordance with your budget as well as goals. 

8. Choose how you publicize yourself carefully. There is a clear difference between good publicity and bad publicity. Don't be a sucker for the latter. Public relations goes beyond trending for a few basic moments. It involves having a specialized team and a calculated approach towards long term relevance. Ignore once again if you are just doing this for the fun of it. 

9. Learn how to understand and harness the collective consciousness of the people you are entertaining, educating or representing properly. This is something you can only do if you understand yourself properly as well. Choose your purpose whatever it may be and manifest accordingly; bearing in mind that you have an added advantage or disadvantage because of the mass energies that attach themselves to your cause. Good or bad, you shall reap what you sow except in your case it will be a million times over by virtue of being a public figure.

10. Stand your ground as an individual before you purport to stand among people. That ensures you remain unfazed in the face in the face of clashing ideals and chaos. Do not be a chameleon. That is not versatility. That is indecisiveness. Identify with an inner truth and peace of mind that comes with being purposeful, deliberate and certain. After all is said and done, not everybody must like you, love you or support you. You however must like yourself, love yourself and support yourself. It is your life before anyone else's after all.


MC Sharon

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