Nana Poku Ashis, a prominent artiste manager, has urged Ghanaian creatives to adopt a more business-focused approach when engaging with political parties.
In a recent interview with GhanaWeb Entertainment, Ashis emphasized the potential career risks associated with endorsing political parties and advised creatives to secure tangible benefits from such transactions.
He noted that while personal affinity for a political party may be genuine, it is crucial for creatives to protect their careers by ensuring that their support translates into concrete gains.
“Why should you sell your entire career? You are not a politician. Right after they finish what they have to do with you, they are done with you. It should be all business. Your music is helping them achieve something. What are you benefiting from them?” he stated.
Ashis cautioned against allowing political endorsements to jeopardize their professional futures, highlighting the importance of clearly defined terms and proper recognition for their contributions.
“It’s all about positioning. We’ve seen artistes who have gone to endorse parties and then their careers were shattered. So, if I, as an artiste, am throwing my weight around a political party, there should be some form of business,” he added.
Ashis praised Afrobeats artist Olivetheboy, who characterized his performance at the NDC Youth Manifesto Launch on August 15 as purely business, and encouraged other artistes to prioritize fair compensation for their efforts.
He also mentioned that his team, which manages Kwabena Kwabena, is open to working with any political party, but only on a strictly business basis.
Ashis stressed that personal political preferences should remain separate from professional engagements, reinforcing that their primary focus is on the business aspect of such collaborations.
“If you see us on any platform right now, it’s purely business. I’m not sure it will be on merits anymore. We’ll do business. You might see us on NDC the same week. You might see us on NPP. It’s business.
“If they call us, we’ll go and do business. I mean, that’s the point at which we are now. If he, the artiste, has love for one of them, he should keep it. That is his love. But when it comes to the team KBKB, he might like A. I like B. But we’ll just go and do our business,” he said.