My complaint wasn’t a strategy to hype ‘Samini’s show’ – Wiyaala clarifies

Ghanaian alternative music artist, Wiyala, has responded to the recent controversy surrounding the placement of her image on a flyer for an upcoming show, clarifying that her intention was not to generate hype or create controversy.

This comes after a flyer for the upcoming Safari Fest show, scheduled for January 1, 2024 was released. The flyer featured Samini, Kuami Eugene, Fancy Gadam, and Wiyaala. However, Wiyaala was placed behind the other acts in on the flyer.

This didn't go down well with the versatile artiste, who took to her social media to call for her image to be positioned correctly as she was not a back up artiste.

In an interview with Hitz FM on December 6, Wiyala clarified her stance, stating that she would hype up the show in her own way and would not resort to publicity stunts to garner for her show.

It is not a strategy to hype the program. If I'm going to hype a program, I'll do the right thing where I do the usual hyping. I'm not one of the artists who like to use controversial like beefing to hype my program. I don't need that. I've never used that. But I've always managed to sell out my shows wherever I go, she said.

Wiyala stressed that her concern was about fair representation, stating that she was not a backup artiste nor a supporting one and thus, deserved to be equal to all other artists on the flyer.

She, however, acknowledged Samini's apology and clarified her relationship with him, saying she was not upset with him since he wasn’t responsible for the flyer’s design.

Wiyala, who is also a graphic designer, stressed the importance of artistic expression in posters and the need for respect in representing artists. She urged event organizers to consider the impact of poster design, saying that putting her name or picture in such a position was denigrating her position as a formidable artiste in the Ghana music industry.

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