Artist v/s ‘entertainer/performer’ |10 November 2016

What is the difference between being an ‘entertainer/performer’ and an ‘artist’ Seychelles style?

For example, when someone sings songs another person wrote and cannot play an instrument are they an artist?  What does being an 'artist' mean in popular music?  Why is the term 'artist' used so widely in the music industry in Seychelles? Who would be an 'artist' on the music scene and who would be an 'entertainer'?

I thought this could be a somewhat interesting topic. It's probably common sense that there is an enormous difference between artist and entertainer. Generally, the difference is thought of as a very basic one; in the music industry, if you write and create songs, you're an artist. If you simply perform them, you're an entertainer.

Of course, you have to wonder where the line is. Many people in the music industry in Seychelles cannot write their own material, but would make creative changes and add their own special touch to pre-existing songs. While it does show creativity, is it enough to make them an ‘artist’, and not an entertainer?

Clowns are entertainers. DJs are entertainers. Would you call a clown or a DJ an artist? I wouldn’t. An artist is somebody who actually has a goal to continuously make music that’s fresh, new and profound. To put it simply, an artist is somebody that is more involved with their music than with the media, paparazzi, and superficial aspects of the music business.

In Seychelles we have so many talented individuals that can honestly be called artists – they write their own lyrics and dedicate much attention to the details. Such people include Patrick Victor, Philip Toussaint, Joseph Sinon,Joenise Juliette, Jany Letourdie, David Andre, John Wirtz, among many others.

“An artist is able to create good lyrics and provoke feelings. Entertainers can entertain a crowd like a DJ. But an artist has got the ability to create art in different forms and inspire people,” says Joseph Sinon.

And we have the upcoming individuals such as Smash Kid, Sandra, Ion Kid, Mercenary, Elijah, Gunz, Louis Gang... can we call those young persons artists or entertainers?

“The word artist can be interpreted in different contexts, an artist in the music industry has got vocals, they can sing and play instruments, they have that ability to write amazing lyrics that will provoke different sorts of reaction among their fans. An entertainer can light up a crowd like a master of ceremony; he is good at entertaining a crowd. We have so many young artists that still have to do research to become better, they need to find that inspiration, but I must acknowledge that many youngsters have started to be original by creating their own beats and lyrics,” says Ricky Ras.

Anyway, just curious what do you guys think? Is ‘artist’ automatically a more acclaimed title than ‘entertainer’? Is it better to write below-par original material than to utterly rely on other people to write your music? I personally don't think so. At the same time, however, you have to wonder just how much innovation can come from performing material written by others.

I am not saying that all of this is fact, at the end it’s all based on your opinions, and unlike many people, I am not going to act as if my opinion speaks for everyone. I just think that artist/entertainers in Seychelles out there cannot be called an artist when they don’t really put that much input in the music, the lyrics, etc. I admire artists for what they do, but I admire entertainers too. At the end of the day, it is all meant for listening pleasure. 

U.J.