3 weeks ago
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Singer Joe El Amadi has revealed the difficulties he faced in his career due to his striking resemblance to fellow musician 2Baba.
In a recent appearance on the ‘Hoha’ podcast, Joe El shared that the constant comparisons have had a detrimental impact on his opportunities in the industry.
He recounted experiences where music executives and media figures denied him access to their platforms solely because of his likeness to 2Baba.
“The downsides of 2Baba comparisons almost broke me down. Some presenters at Cool FM and Sound City, and an event planner at Festac Carnival 2013, denied me access to their platforms for looking like 2Baba,” he stated.
He also recalled an encounter with a Sound City presenter who confronted him at Club Rumours, boasting that he had instructed his team not to play Joe El’s songs because he believed Joe El was imitating 2Face.
“The Sound City presenter even confronted me at Club Rumours one time boasting that he was the one that ordered presenters at his station not to play my songs because I was mimicking 2Face.
“The event planner at Festac Carnival insisted that I won’t perform because I look like their King 2Face. The same thing happened when I went for an interview at Cool FM; the presenter said he can’t interview someone who imitates 2Face.
“I complained to my mum and my record label boss, Baba Keke but they urged to be calm. Sometimes, when I try to pay homage to 2Face when we meet in public, some of his team members will block me,” he said.
Despite these setbacks, Joe El noted that public perception began to shift after he collaborated with 2Baba on the track ‘Hold On’ in 2015.
When discussing his departure from Kennis Music after 12 years, Joe El explained, “The contract was over.”
English (US) ·