During the 2024 Essence Festival in New Orleans, I recently met with a very popular recording artist that many of you know. But to not sound like I am bashing or bad-mouthing, I will not say her name. As a fan of her message and music, I want her to succeed. However, I felt that her label and her team were doing her an injustice with her latest release.
Networking: You Never Know Who Is Asking The Questions
The question was asked, “What do you think about … [her music]?”
The crazy thing that happened was I did not know this person asking me the question was the Senior Vice President of marketing for the said artist and label. I expressed my deep displeasure as a fan of the rollout and was brutally honest, not only as a music aficionado but also as a professional marketer. I could tell something was off. It was like the frequency of this person shifted. I felt the side eye like my mama or my auntie would give me when they were ready to slap me on the side of my head as little a boy for me doing something stupid.
With each question the executive asked, I broke down the missteps from my point of view and how they were failing. I meant no disrespect. I was giving an honest opinion of what is now an obvious failed rollout.
The Truth Hurts, Sometimes
To be clear, I don’t know the priorities or inner workings of this label and its business agendas. But the life lesson is that we all sometimes need a hard truth told to us, from talent to management to decision-makers. These pills can be hard to swallow — trust me, I’ve been there. LOL, but what we can do is take that information to learn and progress positively.
Has this happened to you? Guess who the artist is and send us your reply to hello@fr8qu8ncy.com.
Emery Morrison is the President of Fr8qu8ncy and known for marketing and celebrity brand partnerships.
