To stunt or not?
The local showbiz industry is slowly giving in to a new phenomenon called ‘stunting’.
A number of creatives are embroiled in fake scandals, fights with fellow artists, unveiling fake romantic relationships or breakups and some go as far as sharing outrageous images just to earn public attention. Mostly, the artists engage in stunts ahead of releasing new projects or hosting events.
Hip-hop artist Waxy Kay is one of those known for staging numerous publicity stunts.
Recently, he was in the limelight for parading a fake relationship with fellow artist Nonymous while at one time he announced that he had gone to the United States.
The artist admits to having done many publicity stunts some of which he cannot even recall. He says he does it to achieve various gains such as promoting his brand by boosting the number of followers on his social media handles or promoting his new songs.
“I look at it as a normal thing. It has both advantages and disadvantages. When you get the attention, you can indeed earn new followers. But the problem comes when people realise that you were just faking it. They can drop you instantly,” he said.
The youthful rapper said he always exercises caution on the type of stunts he stages to avoid soiling his image and reputation as an artist.
Dancehall artist Saint said although there is nothing like bad publicity, he has never personally considered riding on the wave of a publicity stunt.
He said those who engage in stunts know its benefits.
Saint said: “There are numerous things that an artist does to facilitate engagement with his fans to promote new work or an event. The stunts are not for everyone, I believe. If it works for those who do it, then it is fine.”
But artist manager and art enthusiast Samuel Chiwaka said he finds the act of indulging in publicity stunts by artists as childish and unprofessional as it puts the reputation of those involved at risk.
He said: “Serious promoters would not be associated with anything such as that. It is an act of desperation and deceit. It has short-term benefits but in the long-run it can damage your reputation permanently.”
Mikozi Online lead Bright ‘Excess’ Chiligo said artists need to be extremely careful when engaging in stunts as it has the potential to reduce the brand value in the long-term.
“Some artists are abusing the stunts. There is a difference between a stunt and a lie. They need to do some of these things carefully,” he said.
MBC Radio 2FM personality Joy Nathu said content creators should avoid over-reliance on stunts because they can easily become obvious. He said: “The most important thing is to avoid diluting or affecting negatively the project you are promoting.”
