Make no mistakes; the recently discovered Nigerian teenage sensation is well and hearty. I, like some other music enthusiasts, are of the opinion that there is an attempt to assassinate the original character that is Salle.
If you recall, she was discovered in the streets of Imo by well-meaning Nigerians who were captivated by her sonorous voice. She was done with her routine hawking of items on the streets when they met her with an empty tray, and her attention was sought after.
Her attention birthed a viral video of her singing, and this captured the heart of many. The video travelled far and wide enough to get the attention of American based Barbadian songstress, Rihanna, and this was made known to the public when the teenage singer wrote this:
“I got a call from Rihanna.”
Reality TV Star Christine Amanpour of CNN followed in the acknowledgement of her being a shining star, by extending an invitation.
“Salle you are a star and an inspiration to the world. Will you kindly accept an invitation to tell your story on my show?” Amanpour posted in the comment section.
But recently, there are different pictures of her physical transformation, which, indirectly, is sabotaging the innocent character we accepted in her pure form. I agree with former presidential aide Reno Omokri, whose recent reaction to this observation, has garnered some sort of criticism. While reacting to the recent pictures of Salle, he had this to say:
“May God bless and prosper her. I prefer her former look. Her talent is her voice, and her grass to grace story is her appeal. I hope those managing her don’t strip her of that undefiled innocence we saw barely a month ago.
That unspoilt, pure innocence is her ticket to the top! There are so many artists with sex appeal. That field is crowded.”
I agree with him that the idea of having a sex appeal is becoming stale. Moreover, time and instances have made it obvious that you can still top the music chart by having a “decent appeal.” The bastardized notion that decency doesn’t sell, has been flawed by the success of so many stars.
The innocence of Salle could be her trademark, alongside her vocals.
Our darling Adele broke boundaries and set records in her career, and will probably set more records when her next album is released – always a Grammy material too. The simple, yet classic outlook of hers, endears her to many of us, that whenever she’s on stage; you can’t stop questioning “who’s this Goddess?”
She was the highest-selling artist in the world twice. She’s signed to an independent label called XL recordings and was rumoured to have refused an offer from a bigger label because they wanted a total revamping of her character.
Nigeria’s Asa is said to have once been on that pedestal, where she had issues with the label trying to turn her into an outlook that will assassinate her true character. Imagine Asa showing us half-naked dressings, simply because of the need to have a sex appeal?
Bon Iver is still loved by millions all over the world, even though he rejected some of the biggest labels in the world, just to stick to Jagjaguwar Records. Some reporters believed there were intentions to change his character from what it was. Others felt there’s a possibility to change his craft into whatever they believed was “commercial appeal.”
His single “Skinny Love” has been copyrighted by so many artists, including those signed to bigger labels – an affirmation that there’s beauty in his craft. We still love Bon Iver and adore the beauty of his simple character, and the sweet weirdness of his eclectic discography. We’re always excited whenever he’s a Grammy nominee.
I believe the management of Salle only needs a little rebranding in her appearance. She’ll appear classic to many if her innocence is synchronized with the beauty of her vocals. Neat and simple gowns or classic skirts and blouses are all she needs.
There is no need to bury the original Salle. We’ve seen enough unnecessary half-naked images of stars, and we believe you don’t need those if you’re a good singer.
Written by: Edward Amah
