How Creative Can Dancehall Creatives Get In Isolation

With the COVID-19 pandemic, dancehall artistes and other industry creatives may have to wait several months before they set foot on a stage, plan a tour, work on a set or travel outside of Jamaica.

But according to Dr Dennis Howard, Managing Director, Institute of Cultural Policy and Innovation (ICPI), people should be seriously working on honing their craft now.

Improving on songwriting skills, rehearsing music, focusing on physical appearance & health and bettering image, were some of the activities Howard highlighted as necessities.

“A lot of the persons who are creating, depending on where they are in their career, can do with some improvement, creative or artistic development… Everyone is not going to be at the peak of their creativity so one of the important things is to continue to put in the work,” Dr Howard told DancehallMag.

The utilization of social media for content creation has skyrocketed, since more individuals are finding ways to maintain their sanity while in isolation.  This is now seemingly, an ideal tool.

“Connect with your fans more on social media, create content, short videos and songs… There are people who are bored at home, depressed, can’t move about…. So cater to the needs of your audience” he said.

Howard said things are shifting permanently and only those who are able to adapt to changing times will remain relevant.

“You have to make sure that you are on top of your game, developing your craft, improving on your skills, so you can continue to produce good content… I don’t see a lot of the artistes doing what I mentioned, whether locally or internationally,” he added.

He however, commended the new and upcoming artistes for utilizing platforms such as TikTok, to showcase ingenuity, building brand and remaining relevant.