By Triumph Kehinde
Think about it. You hear a melody that tickles your soul, a voice that speaks to your deepest emotions, a catchy phrase you couldn’t even remember its origin, you just know it keeps playing in your head.
“Where did I hear this song?” you soliloquise.
Maybe it was on radio, where the artist’s passion crackled through the speakers, or it was through the blaring speaker of the neighbourhood barber, or, did you pick it up on tiktok, during your endless scrolling?
Finally, you give in to the last resort, visit Google. You type in the phrase you remember from listening, and voila, you saw the song and artist, In all its glory.
Not the one to just bite a single apple from a basket full of apples, you decided to dig more on the artist.
“What other songs have they released?”
You read a series of news articles that delved into their creative process, making you feel like you were peeking behind the curtain. You watch reels upon reels on Instagram and tiktok to connect more with the artist.
Maybe you liked what you saw and got indoctrinated into the artist’s fan base at that moment, or maybe not.
Either way. That, my friend, is the power of PR.
In simple terms, PR means creating, maintaining and sustaining a favourable image between you (celebrity, artist, individual etc) and your audience.
In the wild world of music, where talent screams from every corner and catchy hooks fight for your attention, there’s a secret weapon that can make or break an artist: PR.
There’s a reason why some artists are regarded as superstars, drawing crowds in millions and some can’t even get people hyped up about their new music. Again, PR.
PR is to music industry what oxygen is to the normal human being, there’s literally no survival without it. But, why then do a good number of artists not give two cents about it? Simple. PR is boring and long-term.
Remember that PR involves creating, maintaining and sustaining. So, many artists lack the patience to sit around and have a strategy in place for their career, not just their music, their career. Or, let’s just say, they don’t want a music career.
Release a song, get everyone to vibe with it and insha Allah.
PR is about crafting a narrative, not just selling a single, or an album. It’s about humanising artists, showing them not just as performers, but as people with stories to tell. Remember the transition of Adekunle Gold to AG baby. The Afrobeat world buzzed not just because the music surrounding the whole thing was phenomenal, but because the carefully curated rollout hinted at a deeper story, a personal journey. That’s the midas touch of PR!
Now, don’t get me wrong, PR isn’t perfect. Sometimes, it feels like a never-ending cycle of chasing clicks and keeping up with the ever-changing social media landscape. But here’s the thing: it can’t be replaced. You can have your moment with fans due to your appearance in an event, you can have your name trending on social media due to a publicity stunt you pulled, or a scandal surrounding you, but all of these don’t replace PR. Scrap that. All these CANNOT replace PR.
Authenticity over manufactured drama. Every day. Every time.
PR is about creating campaigns that lets you build genuine connections with fans, fostering a community around the music they love.
Sure, you can’t have everyone listen to your music, people will always have preferences but what you can do, you can have everyone KNOW about your music.
There’s so much potential in music PR, a power to create movements, not just moments, separating what is from what can be.
