Etana’s misguided foray into activist punditry seems destined to be career-altering, much like that of the Dixie Chicks, more than 13 years ago, when that group’s comment regarding President George W. Bush altered their career trajectory. In time, the Dixie Chick got back on course, having won thirteen Grammy awards since then, including five of them just four years after the comment. Time will tell the outcome for Etana.
In Etana’s case however, besides being polarized, the punditry was woefully uninformed, such that it has created a credibility crisis for the artist, something the Dixie Chicks did not have to contend with. Many are suggesting the PR wand as the fix but it is not that simple. In this case, the same knife that stick goat stick sheep and whether it’s the good the bad or the ugly; the etanaism that slew Etana is also impacting detractors as well as sympathizers.
Just what is etanaism? It is speech somewhat like malapropism, except that it is shocking, not merely humorous and dangerous, not simply nonsensical. Etana has explained that at the foundation of her misguided foray was her uninformed assessment and utterances, and whether deliberate or unintended, the result is now a lot of uninformed chatter, including some ongoing from Etana herself.
A prime example of the ugly can be seen in the interview itself. According to Etana, she spent an extended period of time providing the statements which resulted in the infamous seven minute segment. She complains that some of the segment does not reflect the context in which she expressed it, the prime example being the often repeated “my music has nothing to do with what I believe” statement. She contends this was said in reference to what she believes about Donald Trump and not what she believes in general as many have understood it.
“Folks, I can’t make this stuff up” says Patria-Kaye Evans in The Gleaner, but apparently, an editor can stringing clips together in a manner that creates a false impression. According to Evans, “he can only carry the clips that are punchy and make for interesting TV… the fact is you said those things, sugar.” Notwithstanding that Etana indeed said those things, ethical journalism requires clips that are “punchy and make for interesting TV”, should respect the context in which they were made and if as Etana suggests, that was not the case, then this was pretty ugly.
As for the bad, no matter how many times or how many ways Etana acknowledges her poor judgment and the folly of some of her statements, and apologize for them, some minds are unalterably closed, (another form of etanaism). What best fits their purpose is a narrative which says Etana’s life work was all a farce and the words strung together by an editor is the truer reflection of who she is, and I will therefore divest myself of her music and never attend another Etana concert. Such is the nature of bad-mind and when active, reflects etanaism by choice.
Then, there is the good, Etana’s last hope for redemption. Many sympathizers quickly state the obvious: hire a good publicist; give no more interviews etc. While well intentioned, many are unwittingly engaging in etanaism, operating with limited knowledge of the artist’s experience and circumstances and therefore, like Etana, is relying on incomplete information in arriving at their conclusions and recommendations. For example, how many have an appreciation for the role of a publicist, the discipline required to benefit from one or the artist’s capacity to hire a worthwhile one?
There are so many lessons in this situation that CPR will use it as a case study in our Workshop for Artist and Repertory Development. The perils of the media must be clearly understood and no, not all PR is good PR. The music business is far more than the music; professionalism and so much more have their merits. For many, Etana is a leading lady of reggae music and while her outcome can be like that of the Dixie Chicks and her career continues to grow positively, she must be willing to learn from the experience. Experience teaches wisdom and others in the industry should pay close attention to the many lessons in the good, the bad and the ugly of this unfortunate situation.
