Kizz Daniel and His ‘See Finish’ Syndrome

Recently, the Nigerian singer Kizz Daniel was arrested in Tanzania for not showing up to his concert- which, if you think of it, is equivalent to advance fee fraud. He did collect the booking fee in advance and didn’t do what he was contracted to do. It will be expected that he refunds the price he was paid, but there has also been the talk of the promoter suggesting that he reimburses the cost of tickets to those disappointed fans. While that is unusual, it is understandable. The performance fee paid to an artiste is only one part of a concert as there are other elements like the stage, DJs, and ancillary services such as food and drink that organisers and sponsors hope will help them recoup their investment and then net them some profit. When the headline artiste ghosts as Kizz Daniel did, it robs them of all of this.

Here’s a fun fact about Nigerians, for the benefit of our non-Nigerian kin: we typically do not take the sides of outsiders against our own. As many people may have noticed, Nigerians may disagree with one another. Still, the minute someone from somewhere else joins the fray, we defer our internal disputes and unite to fight off the outsider. You can ask Ghana about the Jollof wars. Or Kenya when they start to make fun of Nigeria. With this Kizz Daniel case, the loudest critics have been Nigerians, and the funniest memes have come from his folks back home. It’s almost as if there’s a collective sigh of “Good. God don catch am.” Compare this with when Tems and Omah Lay were arrested in Uganda for breaching COVID rules in 2020: fans clamoured for their release, and they eventually had the charges against them withdrawn. With Kizz Daniel, it looks like the Yoruba proverb that warns that a child who refuses to accept home training will be taught from outside. Kizz is being taught a lesson he should have learnt many years ago.

You see, this is not his first time either not showing for shows or arriving late and giving a subpar performance. It’s been his way for a long time. In this past month alone, he had delayed performance for four hours in New York and was belligerent on stage when he eventually showed up. Unceremoniously didn’t show up at all in Denver. That’s before he went to Tanzania, pocket full of show promoter’s money and sleeping in the hotel room when he ought to be on stage. His pathetic excuse made it even more ridiculous: that he didn’t have his clothes were not picked from Uganda, and he didn’t have anything to wear in Tanzania. Laugh with me, please.

While this is by no means a dump session on Kizz Daniel, it is beyond the realm of ridiculously that an artiste of his standing has zero regards for his fans or his craft. Prince famously performed at the NFL Halftime Show in the rain, with live electrical equipment crisscrossing everywhere. Even Kizz’s peers and contemporaries have never stooped to this level – and I’m talking about those that have made it to mainstream America and Europe. Lack of wardrobe facilities is the worst reason a professional musician would practically rob fans of their hard-earned money and feel okay about it.

People list Nigeria’s greatest Afrobeats artistes and leave Kizz Daniel off it because of matters such as this. It is hard to defend his actions, even if he’s talented to the degree that he is. Tours are essential to the spread of music because of the connection it fosters between man or woman and their fans. Fans could have stayed home to play the music on their devices, but they came out for an authentic experience. And while I’m cautious not to mention other names, it’s impossible to ignore how many artistes like Burna Boy and Wizkid, Tiwa Savage and Yemi Alade, Davido etc., put into curating and creating experiences at their concerts. Kizz Daniel is not at the level of any of those people yet but look at the constant contempt he offers his fans. It’s unacceptable and has to stop. Sadly, it may have to take an arrest to get him to see what several commentators have been saying for years.

However, he may also have chronic public anxiety and stage fright. In that case, it is necessary to seek medical help as this is now obviously affecting his livelihood. But it will take many more attempts before fans start to trust him, and that’s if he is tired of the ‘see finish.

Jide Taiwo is a writer and media executive. He writes from Lagos, Nigeria and tweets via @thejidetaiwo.

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