Music maestro, Kojo Antwi says he is not ready to trade his brand for anything by making a political party endorsement.
According to him, just as corporate bodies are not supposed to engage in party politics, he won’t endorse any political party and damage his brand.
“I see myself as a brand with a huge following and it’s something that I won’t trade for any endorsement as some practitioners in this industry did before the election,” he told Nhyira Addo in an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show.
To buttress his point, he added that, “Corporate bodies don’t get involved in political endorsements, I see myself as a corporate body trusted by people to be neutral at all times. Therefore, endorsing a political party for me is a betrayal of my brand and fans.”
Heading into the December 7 elections, several entertainment personalities, including John Dumelo, Mzbel, Agya Koo and Cwesi Oteng, openly endorsed the two leading political parties – The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Kojo Antwi, even though will not condemn or begrudge the entertainment personalities for taking that stance, believes that the celebrities should have used the opportunity to highlight the challenges facing the industry.
“I believe those who decided to get involved in that could have also used the opportunity to [highlight] some of the things the industry needs to uplift where we are but instead, I think it was more for people getting money into their individual pockets, I don’t fault anyone but for me, I believe such a move will hurt my brand,” he noted.
Popularly referred to as Mr. Music Man, Kojo Antwi, without giving details, revealed that, ahead of the elections, he was approached by a political party for endorsement.
“I was approached…I was offered something but I said no,” he said. He was quick to add that, others may accept such offers because of their views on issues while others too may do “it for no compensation.”
Mr. Music Man’s decision not to endorse any political party does not only apply to politics. “It is not just political endorsement. As a brand, I also refuse to do endorse also alcohol…it’s a principle I have to live by.”
He explained that there is nothing wrong with an artiste getting paid to perform at a political platform or event.
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