Montess was recently on a radio show, I think I rightly assume to promote her new single. She was asked by one of the three hosts whom she thought should quit music. And she answered “Pascal.” Adding that lately he’s been too much trouble online.
I would have loved to get a little more context by watching the whole interview or at least a longer segment when she said those words. I cannot find the rest of the video, unfortunately. But let’s just go with the one-minute clip that I saw on 237Showbiz.
When I watched that video, I felt bad; and for two principal reasons.
FIRST of all, I am a BIG fan of Pascal. I have feverishly bought and downloaded every project that Pascal has put out. He is arguably Cameroon’s best Anglophone lyricist and I paid homage to his pen by writing an article here that was entitled “Pascal and the Art of Storytelling.”
In that article, I referenced Slick Rick, one of the pioneers of hip-hop and of storytelling in rap music. I juxtaposed Pascal’s songs like “Douala-Brazzavile” and “Tori Pt. 1” to Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story” and “Ladi Dadi” (Ladi Dadi is the most-sampled song in the history of music).
Therefore, Pascal’s kerfuffle with Jovi and the questions we all ask ourselves about what he is up to right now so far as his rap career is concerned should not deter us from the fact that he is a brilliant rapper; one that would murder your favourite rapper on any given day. So for Montess to summarise things like that was a little heart-breaking.
SECONDLY, this little episode points to something we have decried over and over on PoiseSocial; the lack of and the necessity for the professionalization of certain roles in our industry. Mind you, I didn’t say professionalism, I said professionalization.
I’m sure Montess is a professional and tries to be as much as she can, but the professionalization issue comes in when her lack of tact in answering that particular problem shows that whoever (if at all there is) in her label whose role is to give media training and help her with answering questions from the media is not a professional in the role. That means they likely occupy the role but have no clue in it.
This is a pure hypothesis but stay with me.
Montess did not have to answer that question. Does she think what she said? Perhaps, no. Very likely, yes. Artistes sometimes have to learn to be politicians; by answering questions without answering them. Wandji Wilfred in his parlour watches YouTube and thinks that some people have no business doing music. But Wandji Wilfred on PoiseSocial doesn’t say it. And if he does, it will be so subtle that you would have to find it with a microscope. There are a hundred ways she could have dodged that particular question. Why she felt she had to answer it, I don't know.
But to be fair to Montess, the interviewer did a horrible job asking that stupid question. This also points to another angle of the issue where (due to increased competition from diverse media channels) content producers of our day and age are not usually focused on asking the right questions, but are focused on asking questions that will get the most views and create ephemeral viral moments that leaves you questioning their aim and purpose of existence. #MicroscopeMoment.
The problem, however, remains that a lot of our artistes/celebrities don’t know how to speak, do interviews, circumvent uncomfortable questions, handle their own personal PR and write a full-length Facebook post that is void of grammatical errors. You watch an interview and the interviewee is slouching, keeps saying ermm ermm and a whole bunch of stuff that leaves you with more questions than with answers.
We all saw what happened with Fhish and his very very awkward outing. Lucky for him, he is talented and has been able to turn that around and gain some new fans; including me.
It is important for labels to be able to seek professional help for their artistes by putting them in contact with PR professionals who can train them
I mean we are at an age when musicians are turning the table around and getting behind the microphone instead of in front of it. We have seen the likes of T.I, Joe Budden and Nicki Minaj produce their own podcast where they can discuss ideas that go beyond the scope the music itself and forays into the psychology, the stories and the business of the industry.
If they are able to do this and express ideas and opinions in ways which the public is signing up for this type of content, it is because they have been coached by professionals in the field and have themselves acquired skills to do that.
If you cannot afford to pay for that, thank the heavens we live in a digital age. Just go to Google and search for how to answer questions at interviews. Search for TV shows that have to deal with PR and crisis management, go to YouTube and watch “The Breakfast Club” interviews and learn form these… You can even enrol in a public speaking course on Coursera or edX. No knowledge is hidden today. You just need to want to find it . I think our musicians and other entertainers should be able to have that kind of forward-thinking. And it starts by learning what to say when asked: “Which musician do you think should quit music.”
- Wandji Wilfred
. Picture: Montess' IG account