Sanaipei Tande: I lost shows for declining to sleep with promoters, DJs

Sanaipei Tande [Courtesy]

Singer, songwriter and actress Sanaipei Tande on Tuesday highlighted some of the challenges she faced in the entertainment industry, bringing to the fore things that happen behind the scenes.

Speaking during an interview on #DoubleODirect on Spice FM, Sanaipei said artistes need to be aggressive in marketing their content and consistent in churning out music although she accused some promoters of seeking sexual favours.

“I have lost shows because a promoter tells you he wants you to go to Naivasha to perform and we agree and there’s M-Pesa so you can send me my deposit but they want it to be a thing of why don’t we meet…have a drink. We’ll be in Nairobi this weekend…we can do something.

“There’s casualness in the industry that I could not deal with. A lot of girls would tell me, if you want a DJ to play your song you have to do a little something with him. A producer tells you he can produce a song for you for free lakini kuna vile,” she revealed.

Sanaipei also spoke about the financial aspect of entertainment, stating that event organisers need to understand the dynamics of inviting an artiste for a show because a lot goes into the preparation and different people need to be paid.

“Somebody would want you to perform for like an hour and they want to give you Sh40,000. I probably must get dancers, a band…it does not work like that.

“Unfortunately, when you push for more money they decide to go for a cheaper option,” she said.

The former radio host said Kenya compromises a lot on quality in almost every sector of the economy and this leads to mediocrity in service delivery.

Sanaipei Tande [Courtesy]

Late last year, Sanaipei opened up on her journey in media and some of the challenges she faced as a young celebrity.

During an interview with Daniel Ndambuki aka Churchill, she narrated how she got an opportunity at Radio Africa some years back and how popular radio host Maina Kageni was smitten by her looks.

“I was yet to be given a show at Kiss 100 and he said, “If you never want to work another day in your life give me a baby.”

“I was very young maybe 21 or 22 yet he was talking about making me a mother…I was just starting out. I keep telling young girls not to involve themselves in such things before they create a clear career path for themselves,” she stated.

Sanaipei added that talk about her and Maina has constantly brought her problems because whenever she puts up a post on social media netizens put pressure on her to give the Classic 105 presenter a baby.

“Guys often think that I am not taken and that I am available…the other day Maina mentioned that he would be giving me Sh500,000 as pocket money monthly if I got his baby.

“Girls keep on telling me to seize the opportunity but money does not control me,” she reiterated at the time.