Here's K'naan circa 2009:
And here he is in 2012:
Music history is littered with tales of artists who moved to the middle for pop success. Some renounce it years later, others never acknowledge it all, but very few stakes a public flag in the midst of it all like K'naan did this Sunday in a NY Times Opinion column, Censoring Myself For Success.
Right now, the pressures of the music industry encourage me to change the walk of my songs. When I write from the deepest part of my heart, my advisers say, I remind people too much of Somalia, which I escaped as a boy. My audience is in America, so my songs should reflect the land where I have chosen to live and work.
They have a point. A musician’s songs are not just his own; he shares them with an audience. Still, Somalia is where my life and poetry began. It is my walk. And I don’t want to lose it. Or stifle it. Or censor it in the name of marketing.
Interesting read if you've ever wondered about the mechanics behind the marketing and how it impacts an artist . Check it out at the NYTimes...
