The male divas and their bigger-than-life demands

     PHOTO:COURTESY

There are celebrities who event organisers dread due to their excessive demands.

Mostly, the word ‘diva’ is associated with a celebrated female singer, a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera’ and by extension theatre, cinema and popular music.

The meaning of ‘diva’ is closely related to that of ‘prima donna’.

Being a diva is not always negative. They say it is all about making demands according to your celebrity status or class.

The male form of a diva exists in Italian culture, and the title is usually reserved for the most prominent leading tenors.

Closer home, we have male stars who have been branded divas in media circles due to their sometimes bigger than life demands or behaviour that leaves everyone murmuring. We sample the latest diva-like behaviour by local male celebrities:

Jimmy Gait’s media snub

Jimmy Gait is one of the biggest gospel stars in the land. His songs are big, and wherever he goes, he commands a great following and great respect.

However, Jimmy is not your everyday star. A little while back, he decided that he was not going to take any interviews from the media for a year (when every other star is looking for someone to write about them). So Jimmy took what he called a ‘media break’ and whoever dared call him for interviews faced a rude shock.

Early this year, Jimmy decided that he was back. So we now figure that we should all be running Jimmy Gait’s press releases unedited, right?

Diamond’s stage acts

You never know what to expect from singer Diamond as an event organiser. All contracts can be in order, but Diamond will still pull a move that leaves you shocked.

During the All Kigoma Stars concert in Mombasa recently, Diamond ordered the event organisers to get all the VIP guests out of the back stage area as he wanted the reserved area just for himself and his entourage.

It was total chaos as bouncers started kicking out the big shots, some of them sponsors of the event who did not understand a thing of what was going on.

He went further to ask bouncers to only let the beautiful girls on stage, that after stretching the event organiser with classy flight and accommodation arrangements on top of his exorbitant concert fee.

During a TV interview, he also wanted to push the envelope on doing a ‘seconds’ jig with the presenter. True story!

Redsan’s invisible barrier

Well, has he slowed down! Just a bit! However, Redsan is not the kind of celeb the media and events organisers rush to. Many dread him. Many times, you will have to talk to his publicist (even if you have his personal number) to get an interview done. He decides when the interview will be delivered, and many times, what photos to be used on a story.

This Kenyan international will not just feature in any other collabo. For years, he has managed to keep his space and no one has broken through the barrier.

Jaguar’s media brief

His humble demeanor and philanthropic activities should not be mistaken to mean that he can be cheap. No! Jaguar’s concert demands equal the money he is currently commanding.

Ask the guys who have been hosting him in Burundi. From organised press conferences to maximum security, from the best hotel accommodation to most luxurious flight money can afford, Jaguar lives big.

 In fact, he is on record saying that he would rather perform for free than settle for half-baked plans. And guess who else is going in this direction; Willy Paul!