Yes. That is DJ Jimmy Jatt and yours faithfully, and you don’t need to tell me am not the hunkier of the duo; I already know where I belong. Apart from Jimmy’s better looks, he appears to be the celebrity in the pix, thanks to his customised face cap, pair of glasses and lovely top.
I had gone to interview Jimmy. Prior to the interview, I had a preconceived idea of Jimmy’s type of person – cool, calm and collected – or the Triple C type, as I put it. I had seen him a number of times on TV, and also from a distance at shows and was left with no iota of doubt that he was that type. But after the interview, was I proved wrong? No. Jimmy stuck to the personality he had sold to me on TV and at shows. All through the interview, he didn’t act any differently. He was the Triple C. The only question I left with in mind was, was he always this way, everywhere?
We all know Jim Iyke to be the “bad boy” of Nollywood. He got this nicky because of the roles he plays in movies. And quite unfortunately, people deem him to be such a fellow even outside a movie scene.
Everyone knows Banky W wears a head-warmer no matter the weather and Jay Martins is the face behind Papa’s Cap Nigeria Ltd; Pete Edochie will forever speak in calm tone and will use more proverbs than Obama; Frank Edoho invented Suits and D’banj will always go naked on stage; Karen Igho doesn’t give a damn what you call her and Linda Ikeji knows you know what she did last summer because she told you and always will.
Every celeb has something he is identified with. It doesn’t matter what it is. It doesn’t matter the message it gives. Even fictitious personas like Superman and Spiderman have their own trademarks.
One question that always pops up in my head is, are these people always this way everywhere they go? Does Banky wear head-warmers to the loo at home? Does Frank Edoho wear suits to bed? Does D’banj do the “kokolet” sign during thanksgiving in church?
Someone once said something funny on twitter. He said Pete Edochie can say “take off your bra” and it would sound like a proverb. But does Uncle Pete use proverbs on his pets at home?
The reality about stardom is that once you get there, you must have an established brand. You can’t ignore this reality. It is either you create a brand of your own or you get lost in the crowd. Most celebrities claim stardom didn’t change anything about them, but we all know blue lies when we hear them.
If you were a celeb, what would be your brand/signature? The way you talk, dress, walk, respond to fans, eat in public, smile… Try to create some attributes and characteristics of Celebrity You and compare it to Ordinary You now. How vast do you think the difference(s) would be? Would you prefer the Celebrity You you have created or the current Ordinary You?