Musicians are supposed to give us songs. They are supposed to give us sound. When someone becomes popular because of music, we expect more hits.
However, some musicians who once trended for songs are now trending for memes. They left the studio. No new songs, so they turned to social media to stay relevant, much like Kondwani Kachamba Ngwira, a well-known influencer who has built a massive following online.
Some have embraced the role of social media influencers or content creators, using online posts to keep audiences engaged. Beyond memes, many comment on politics, social issues, and trending events, and some even help spread news to large audiences, much like popular media outlets.
Timelines fill with Facebook posts, Instagram videos, TikTok clips, and WhatsApp jokes. Months go by. Music fades. Social media noise has replaced melody. In the fight for relevance, attention now often matters more than songs.
Not all viral names are skilled musicians. Luck, not talent, made some famous. One hit. One hook. One instant of attention. The streets went crazy for it. Radios tuned in everywhere. Success arrived fast. Talent sometimes stayed behind.
Instead of returning to the studio, some discovered a new stage: the timeline. Social media became their new music. Influencers like Kachamba illustrate how content, commentary, and news-sharing can capture audiences’ attention just as effectively as a chart-topping hit.
To stay relevant, some musicians fully embrace social media. They post, they engage, they meme, and they comment — while their audiences cheer. The line between music, content creation, commentary, and news dissemination begins to blur.
Music still demands discipline. You must write. You must record. You must improve. Sometimes, you fail before you succeed. Memes and commentary need only a phone and data bundles.
The industry is partly to blame. Instant fame is rewarded more than skill. A viral song can make someone famous. But without follow-up, the moment fades. Audiences share memes, discuss posts, engage with commentary, and cheer clout. Slowly, focus shifts from music to attention.
Fans must examine their own role. Do they stream songs the same way they share jokes, political opinions, or trending news online? Do they attend shows in the way they follow social commentary? Sometimes, artists chase what the audience rewards most, and audiences shape them in return.
If this continues, musicians may be famous online but absent from playlists. They will have followers but no catalogue. Engagement, but no legacy. History remembers songs that live forever, not content or commentary that dies tomorrow.
Musicians must protect their calling. The industry must reward skill, not only attention. Fans must stream, not only like, comment, or share. Otherwise, clout will replace talent, and music will quietly disappear where it matters most — in the hearts and ears of the people.
