Simphiwe Dana says industry giants don't really care about their artists

“I’ll tell you that the industry owners are always researching ways to f*** you,” said Simphiwe.

02 December 2020 - 16:00
By deepika naidoo AND Deepika Naidoo
Simphiwe Dana took to Twitter to call out the entertainment industry for not caring enough about artists.
Image: Supplied Simphiwe Dana took to Twitter to call out the entertainment industry for not caring enough about artists.

Artist Simphiwe Dana took to Twitter in a rant about the music industry, saying that industry bosses won't do what's in the best interest of their artists.

Simphiwe's observations were sparked by singer Makhadzi's situation. Makhadzi shared with fans at the weekend that she allegedly didn't make a cent off her latest album. According to the Matorokisi hitmaker, who opened up in a tweet detailing her current financial struggles, her manager allegedly exploited her.

Fellow musician Simphiwe sympathised with her and took the opportunity to call out the entertainment industry. In a scathing review of the SA music industry, the Usikhonzile hitmaker said that power members of their industry don't do right by them in this “dog eat dog” world.

“I hope this works out for you sisi. I have no faith in anyone powerful and in charge of musicians doing the right thing by them. Still, it’s a wide, wide world. Good luck. You are important,” tweeted Simphiwe.

She followed up her statement, saying no matter how much the management can be rooting for you, it's essentially every singer for themselves.

“I have had many good people rooting for me in the music industry. Some of them bosses. I’ve been highly protected in so many ways. But I’ll tell you that the industry owners are always researching ways to f*** you. Even your lawyers are sometimes bought or just plain not caring” Simphiwe said.

In the past, Simphiwe has been vocal about the importance of artists' wellbeing.

Earlier this year, a few months into the lockdown, the star was one of the many artists who called out the department of arts & culture for not providing artists with Covid-19 relief funds.

Calling on minister Nathi Mthethwa to step up, she demanded that artists not be ignored by the department, as they had taken a huge financial hit this year.

“We need answers and to not be ignored by our department. We haven’t made money most of this year,” tweeted Simphiwe.