Afrobeat singer Noella Wiyaala Nwadei, known by her stage name Wiyaala, has threatened to back out of a popular event, Safarifest, which she is billed to perform, following what she termed disrespect to her career.
She expressed her sentiments over a promotional flyer with the placement of her image at the back of other giant artistes.
Wiyaala, who is fondly called the lioness of Africa, condemned the promotional artwork in a Facebook post, claiming it has belittled her and reduced her to a backup artiste.
“Honestly, I’m not happy with this poster circulating on social media. Place my image in the right position, or I am out. I’m not a backup artiste,” she wrote.
Wiyaala, explaining her post in a media interview, said she had no problem with Samini occupying the front; however, her problem was with Kuami Eugene and Fancy Gadam following Samini while she was placed at the tail of the artwork, projecting her as a backup artist.
“Samini is my big brother, and I respect him a lot. I have no problem with him being at the front, but I am in the industry before Kuami Eugene and Fancy Gadam, and I am as good as them; therefore, I cannot be positioned where I am placed because I am not a backup artist,” she lamented.
Wiyaala went further to state that she had always been a part of Safarifest since it was organized in her hometown, and it would not be appropriate for artistes from other parts of the country to be billed and their image would outshine hers.
Safarifest is organized by the Royal Cosy Hills Safari Resort in Jirapa, in the Upper West region. The concert is slated for January 1, 2024, at the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel.
The promotional artwork had images of all four billed artistes with reggae/dancehall musician Samini in front, Kuami Eugene following, and Fancy Gadam before the lioness.
Source: Ghana/MaxTV/MaxFM/max.com.gh/Joyceline Natally Cudjoe
