Growing up, I was always under the impression that certain music genres were reserved for specific artists of a certain age. My reasoning was that, if you were of a certain age, you should not be making a particular genre or style of music. At this point in my life, I have come to understand that my thought process then was down to the environment I found myself in and the way it conditioned me.
While I still believe there is some truth to this assertion, I also believe we must tackle the conversation of ageism with context. The concept of ageism, especially in an African society, is very prevalent. Age is attached to a lot of things in our everyday lives, so much so that it has found its way into how we consume art.
A dive into government institutions will reveal several employees who have reduced their age just so they can have a longer career. In sports, it is no news that a number of African players often lie about their age in order to get more playing years as professionals. I can respect the intention behind it, but the truth has always been that time will always catch up with you regardless of how much you want to lie. However, we can separate the instance of ageism in football from that in the arts. That is because, unlike football, art does not involve a great deal of physicality, which is why artists can be over 50 years old and still be actively making music and touring. For footballers, retirement starts knocking by 35, and in some cases 40 for a handful of players.
As a society, we have conditioned ourselves to believe that someone of a certain age cannot be certain about certain things, which in most instances should not be about age. As such, when we find out how old or young a person is, we like to juxtapose it against what they have done to ascertain if they are who they claim to be. I have found myself in such situations, with the most recent instance being with Black Sherif. In my defence, I had always felt he was older due to the themes he sings about, but having heard him speak in interviews, I came to understand that, while he is still young, he has actually lived through all those countless experiences; experiences that are often lived by people who are older than he is right now.
Art comes from drawing inspiration from many things and people, and as such, it should not be out of place for a young person to draw inspiration from an older person’s experience and create from that perspective as if it were their own.
On the other hand, the music business, like many businesses, is not just about art but also about making profits from investments. Like any investment, the longer the business runs, the more you are likely to make a profit in larger sums. As such, it is understandable why, over the years, labels and investors have been more open to younger talents. The decision has been, from what I believe, a smart business decision because you now have more time to own, and recoup, a lot of profit.
However, there is no guarantee that a young artist will bring in profits. In a recent interview, one of Africa’s most successful artists Tiwa Savage revealed that she released her first single in her thirties. For context, Tiwa has had a successful career spanning decades. In today’s market, the chances of Tiwa getting signed in her thirties would be very slim but the success of her career goes to show that, sometimes, an older talent can still be bankable even more so than younger talents. Some artists are just late bloomers and they too deserve to be given an opportunity to explore their talents.
I somewhat agree that there are things some artists cannot do or expose themselves to once they hit a certain point. However, that in itself still stems from societal constructs. There have been several times that I have seen online when fans call out artists for one thing or the other because they are older. For example, Sarkodie has constantly been berated by fans for making styles of music they believe he should not be making just because “Obidi, you grow.” (Translation: Obidi, you’re old.) It is worse for women because society expects them to act a certain way because they are older. Who says a woman cannot be old and sexy? Who says older people cannot party? Outside the limitations that come with being older, I do not feel opportunities should be kept away from people just because they are older.
Unfortunately, ageism is not something we will ever escape as a people, but we as a society can reassess how we tackle it, especially in the arts. Doors should not be closed to people because they are older; investors should not shy away from investing in talents just because they are late bloomers in the industry. Artists should not have to lie about their age just to earn investor trust and resources to propel their careers.
Written by Nana Kojo Mula.
Follow @theimullar on Instagram and X(Twitter) for more.
