Artiste manager and entertainment pundit, Kwesi Ernest, has cautioned upcoming musicians against signing contracts out of desperation, warning that such decisions could ruin their careers.

Speaking in an interview on Joy Prime on May 6, 2026, Kwesi Ernest stressed the importance of artistes understanding the music business before entering into agreements with investors.

According to him, some investors take advantage of desperate artistes by presenting exploitative contracts that may appear attractive at first glance.

“Irrespective of how pressed you are with success and you want to be successful, you must also make sure that your brains are activated such that you will not go and sit in front of an investor frustrated,” he said.

He explained that investors can easily sense desperation and use it to their advantage.

“An investor can look at you and think you’re desperate, so he will also be thinking of what to do. He can decide to pin you down with a contract for 10 years and every year, you will be doing 10 albums for him,” he stated.

Kwesi Ernest shared that some artistes hurriedly sign such contracts because of immediate financial relief without considering the long-term consequences.

“Then if he can give you like GH₵20,000 a month, you’re sorted because you’re so desperate. They will bring you the contract and without hesitation, you will sign it. How are you going to drop 10 albums every year for 10 years?” he questioned.

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He further noted that many musicians eventually become frustrated and abandon their music careers due to poor contractual decisions.

“Desperation has caused most artistes to contract without a proper understanding. Some even get frustrated along the line and decide not to sing anymore,” he said.

The entertainment pundit also advised artistes to be careful when selecting managers, insisting that artiste management requires proper training and knowledge.

“You don’t just hire anyone as a manager. You don’t just wake up and hire your brother, cousin, or partner as your manager because the person is closer to you. Management is a full school work. It’s something you need to study,” he explained.

Kwesi Ernest continued, “Even if you don’t go to school and you want to study on the job, you must do an apprenticeship and get yourself schooled to what you want to do in order not to mess up any artiste’s career.”

According to him, three key people are essential in shaping a successful artiste career: the artiste, the manager, and the lawyer.

“Three people are very important in grooming artistes. One is the artiste himself, the second is the manager and the third is the lawyer. They play a very important role. Investors have a way of putting their language on paper. They will put the clauses in certain hidden areas and it will take a very good lawyer to be able to tell,” he added.


FG/EB


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