Entertainment
Timaya Goes Rebranding
Over the past three
years, Timaya has undergone, little and often subtle changes. First, he tweaked his appearance; He no longer spots the dreadlocks, but has a stylish-parting that runs suavely. His attire is completely of a higher fashion now, a tremendous leap forward for a singer who was very well vested in stereotypical pop culture attires and blings. Quietly, Timaya cleaned up his image.
A look through Timaya’s social media pages will not bring up any old version of the singer from Port Harcourt. He’s a new man, far different from the one who was involved in the brash altercation with Empress Njama, but a successful musician who is focused on his work, and also his new sense of style and self. This change has been evident since 2013. After the previous album “Upgrade”, which did show traces of the man Timaya will become, but still held on to his previous thuggish persona. The singer went on a rebranding process. It slowly became clear that the singer had grown tired of his previous persona and had to evolve, lest he becomes another Terry G, There was a vision to change, the first of which was to lose the tired dreadlocks.
Over the years, very few artistes have thrown in the change to make themselves appeal to a different market. African China cleaned up his image in a bid to appeal to more upscale demography, and left him hanging by a thread that killed his career. Waconzy took off his dreads and so went his plan for the future 2face Idibia, is working on rebranding to 2 baba.
The biggest question, however, is will his music change? All the music timaya has released is unaffected, with a fusion of pop and dancehall still his signature sound, Timaya started off as a story teller and Introspective romantic whose music bordered on protest art, with songs like ‘Dem Mama’ and ‘True Story’ taking the boy beyond Port Harcourt. Subsequent years have seen him try to balance his themes to fit in with the popular narrative, with party tracks leading his work, and an appreciation of God propping it. The songs ‘Sanko’ and ‘Bow down’ both off his ‘Epiphany’ album. His new records ‘ I like the way’, Halleluyah’, and ‘Money’, all straddle his old themes, significantly showing that the change is superficial with no new music direction to be employed.
That aside, if there is a glass ceiling that put Timaya’s career and appeal at risk based on his look, that ceiling has shattered. What’s left is for him to go past the ceiling of his music. Perhaps that will materialize one day.
R&B star, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has recounted the early-career challenges she faced, revealing that she was once booed out of the stage while performing at a school event.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmen, the Crazy Tings crooner shared that she wasn’t only booed but was also harassed with plastic bottles.
“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up-and-coming singer and I thought I was going to receiving a standing ovation.
“But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.
Tems explained that despite the embarrassing incident and other such rejections, she remained determined to pursue a career in music.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Tems admitted that some of the initial rejections she faced could be due to her conviction to stick to her originality instead of doing covers or familiar sounds like most of her peers.
The Grammy-winning singer said looking back now, she is glad that she didn’t compromise her style despite the initial pressures.
A close associate of late singer Mohbad, Primeboy, has appealed for the artiste’s burial nearly three years after his death.
According to him, Mohbad’s body remains in the mortuary since September 12, 2023, pending burial arrangements.
The Tide Entertainment reports that in a statement Primeboy urged the family, public, and government to permit the burial, stating, “It’s been almost three years since Mohbad left us. His body is still in the mortuary. I’m begging the family, I’m begging the public, I’m begging the government, please let’s bury our brother. He deserves a befitting burial.”
It would be recalled that Mohbad’s death sparked public outrage, protests, and investigations. Ongoing autopsy examinations, police inquiries, and legal proceedings have delayed burial arrangements amid family disagreements and public scrutiny.