KIZZ Daniel Goodbye!!
The Price of Celebrity
Nigerian star Kizz Daniel finally speaks after the debacle on August 7.
The press conference room was a buzz of excitement. Photographers, videographers, presenters and the like all shared a story or two between each other in anticipation. There was speculation over how much Kizz Daniel would have to pay, or what kind of trouble he was ultimately in. More so, there was an ambiguous sense of whether or not contrition would be the theme of the evening. That is to say, would he even apologise for the raucous caused? Raucous aside, the man cost a lot of people a lot of money.
So it appears that Kizz Daniel is not making too many new friends here in Dar es Salaam. Two days after he was a no-show for the Summer Amplified concert, a press conference was scheduled with the Nigerian singer slated to make an appearance and explain himself. Three hours after the scheduled press conference time, and once more, Kizz Daniel was nowhere to be seen. This is in keeping to a recent trend where the Buga singer constantly finds himself in hot water due to his late appearances and unexpected cancellations. It was only a month ago, during a tour of the United States that Kizz Daniel arrived more than four hours late for a show in New York. Following this, his American fans hurled objects at the stage and demanded a refund – similar to our experience here in Tanzania. Only that, at least he performed for a few minutes in New York. No such courtesies were afforded to those in attendance at the Warehouse Arena on the 7th of August. One supposes superstars work on their own time. And on their own tempo.
Finally, we had the face time we felt we deserved. Not merely for those in the press, but for Tanzanians. What could the man possibly say? Would he show contrition, remorse or regret? Or would he maintain the same defiant energy that has swirled him these past few weeks? Johari Rotana Hotel was the setting for the much-awaited press conference. The extended delays seemed only to fuel the public perception of Kizz Daniel. At least, as of late. That perception, put succinctly by one reporter, “the boy is rude.” But judge not lest ye be judged. No one really cared or cares about talk of delays, we were all too curious and anxious to hear the man himself defend his recent actions. Or at least explain them. After all, it wasn’t merely the petulant behaviour, or the blatant disrespect and contempt Kizz Daniel showed towards his fans. More so, the factor that necessitates the need for a press conference to begin with, is the fact that quite a bit of money was lost. People purchased tables, flew into the country, and scheduled their entire weekend plans, all to see him perform. One could posit that whatever words or displays of penitence that come from Kizz Daniel stem from sincere financial considerations. And so, the man came to explain himself.
“Mambo,” he awkwardly opened.
“Poa!” We all respond.
“I just learned that.
We want to apologise for keeping you waiting. So, I’d like to start from the get-go.”
With that, the Nigerian Star went straight to the explanations and excuses. He walked us through the events leading up to the debacle on the 7th.
“I was contracted by an agency back home to perform here august 7. I was supposed to be in Uganda, august 6. I had an amazing time in Uganda. The agency reached out. The promoter had booked a connecting flight to leave Uganda. I left the hotel, caught the flight, but unfortunately, the airline delayed the flight 1 hour in Uganda. We flew into Nairobi and our connecting flight from Kenya to Dar left (before us). My Flight got delayed so I had arrived at 12pm and missed the connecting flight. We got the next available flight at 8:50 pm. I was in Nairobi airport for 8 hours.
“We landed in Dar around midnight. We soon realised that the airlines forgot our bags in Nairobi, Kenya, along with some of the equipment we'd need...gear, costumes’ (etc.).We communicated (our concerns) with the organisers (and) tried to figure out how it could be possible to perform still. We got to the hotel around 01.30 am. I sent my band to the venue to get everything ready for the performance. I said I’ll stay back. There were thousands of fans at the venue, so it wasn't a good idea to go and do sound check. The fans rushed the band off the stage.
Kizz Daniel then went on to express his state at the time all this was unfolding.
“We contacted a couple of stylists here in Tanzania.” Supposedly, this was a last-ditched attempt to salvage a performance, to no avail.
“We left Uganda early - I was drenched. I needed to freshen up. We got a couple of stylists...back at the hotel. There was some unresolved issues between the agency back home and the hotel and we were trying to settle that but time was passing.”
He looked and felt rough, he explained. And without sound check, it was passing his scheduled performance time.
“I was advised to stay back,” Kizz Daniel continued. “I sat down with the organisers and promoters. How can we make this right? “We decided to do a makeup show for free.” Though that aspect is questionable. It’s free for those who have already paid.
“Unfortunately, by morning, the story had been blown out of proportion (and) the law got involved. The police came by to my hotel and took me in for questioning.”
This was due to the ‘destruction of property and vandalism,’ said Kizz Daniel. He was emphatic in stating that he was not arrested. And he did not cancel the show due to his missing chain.’
“I gave my statement, and here we are. I love my people in Tanzania. They've been supporting me. I come here often. I love the people here. I told my brother here, the show must go on. Let's make this happen.
“I must apologise to the fans. None of this was intentional. I didn't mean to disrespect the fans. Most especially, the fans. I came to Tanzania to perform, but due to circumstances way over my power, we couldn't make it happen.
I hope you give me another chance
Whatever happened, we are sorry. We apologise - not only to the fans and the people. We apologise to the government and to the World.”
Oh, boy, how they are sorry. Seems like a huge cluster - a mess. The man was fatigued, tired, and perhaps sleep-deprived. And thus,
He cancelled his show following a myriad of factors all going wrong. Never mind the backlash. But set it right, they will. So, they say.
One can be forgiven for showing apprehension, however, something tells me Kizz Daniel will work hard to make it all right.
But today is Friday. So, I guess we’ll see…