Nigerian singer Paul Okoye, popularly known as Rudeboy and one-half of the defunct music duo P-Square, has lamented the decline in the prestige and mystique once associated with music stars, blaming the widespread use of social media for making artistes overly accessible to their fans.
The singer, who spoke in a recent interview with Lun Lifestyle TV, argued that although social media has brought positive changes to the music industry, it has also eroded the sense of mystery that once distinguished popular artistes and heightened fans’ excitement whenever they encountered their idols.
According to Rudeboy, musicians in the pre-social media era enjoyed a level of exclusivity that made their public appearances and music videos highly anticipated. He maintained that the constant exposure of artistes through platforms such as TikTok has diminished the excitement fans once felt when seeing their favourite performers.
The Reason With Me crooner also questioned the continued financial justification for producing music videos, suggesting that the format has lost some of its appeal because audiences can now watch artistes regularly on social media.
"Music videos somehow now, because of this generation, is a waste of money. I am sorry to say this. But do you remember us [P-Square] before? You don't see us anywhere. You just watch music videos, you see us and that's it, or we come to your country, you see us," he said.
Reflecting on the intense reactions artistes once generated among their fans, Rudeboy attributed the decline in such excitement to their frequent appearances online, where they routinely share promotional content and snippets of their personal lives.
"The reason you don't see people faint for artistes anymore is because they see them on TikTok every day dancing and promoting your music. If Michael Jackson was alive now and doing promotional content on social media, nobody would see him and faint," he stated.
The singer argued that the culture of constant online visibility has made it increasingly difficult for contemporary musicians to recreate the aura of mystery that surrounded global music icons in previous decades.
"Unfortunately, it's too late for us to bring back the era of artistes being mystiques. How can you advise an artiste to post every day? How? Post what? You don't need to," he added.
Rudeboy acknowledged that social media has contributed positively to the entertainment industry by providing artistes with platforms to promote their music, reach wider audiences and engage directly with fans. However, he maintained that the benefits have come at the cost of exclusivity and the special appeal that once accompanied celebrity status.
He described the phenomenon as 'see-finish', a Nigerian expression commonly used to describe a situation in which excessive familiarity diminishes respect, admiration or perceived value.
"Social media brought positive change to the industry but it also led to 'see-finish.' Artistes are now too exposed. Fans see how they eat, cry. Before when artistes go to club, they stay in restricted VIP areas, but now when they are clubbing, everyone is filming," he said.
His comments highlight an ongoing debate within the entertainment industry over the balance between digital visibility and celebrity mystique. While social media has become an essential tool for music promotion and audience engagement, Rudeboy's position suggests that excessive exposure may weaken the anticipation and admiration that once defined the relationship between artistes and their fans.