Chief Osei Bonsu who is popularly known as Tulenkey in the entertainment terrain has mentioned that Coronavirus slowed his business down massively, in an interview on a popular radio station in Accra.
The hitmaker of ‘Your Girlfriend’ and ‘Child Abuse’ made it known that he had intended to release his album this year but, because of the pandemic, he has adjourned it to next year. He said:
“I have not dropped an album yet, just an EP and a mixtape. So the album will come next year. The Corona slow more things and the shows are not coming in like it used to”.
His extended playlist ‘Doomsday’ which has four tracks on it was released lately and, he appealed to fans to stream it on all digital music platforms.
“My song is everywhere, it is on every music platform including Spotify, apple music, everywhere. My fans, everybody ‘I dey beg’ please stream it for me” He said.
Creative institutions and individuals including Artists across the world, most of whom were already working part-time, on an informal basis, or under contracts before the pandemic, are struggling to make ends meet.
Tulenkey will not be the first or last artist to complain bitterly about how unpleasantly Coronavirus has affected them. Several artists in the creative industry are faced with this same phenomenon. Many found themselves in a situation where they experienced substantial financial losses alongside negative effect implications. Recently in an interview, legendary Kojo Antwi, Stonebowy, Adina, Kidi are just but to mention a few who have made it known how corona has slackened all their events down for them.
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The Creative and Cultural sector including Tourism has not been immune to the effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic. . The fast spread of the virus resulted in widespread closures across the globe, with bans being placed on large gatherings, which had an immediate impact on multiple industries, including the music industry. More so, artistic performances including live shows were canceled until further notice creating difficult situations for creative and cultural people. This resulted in a number of artists taking their shows to the internet to have virtual concerts which have caused immense financial loss to most of these artists. Places of worship such as churches and mosques, theatres, museums, schools as well as places of entertainment remain to have restrictions on the number of people that can be allowed at a venue at a time.
Fundamentally, health must come first. The economy is hard hit now, but there will be no economy at all if many more people die from Coronavirus or suffer its devastating long-term effects. Sometimes reality has no consolation, planning is impossible and there is nothing to do but stay in and get through it. The government should recognize the dire straits that artists are in and, step into the breach with targeted support.
