More than stardom - Squidell sends message to young artistes in new book

Artiste manager-turned-author Squidell is imploring young music enthusiasts to take the "business" part of music more seriously, following his invitation to lecture at the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom.

Squidell, who is the older brother of dancehall superstar Popcaan, said he hopes the lessons explored throughout his book, Essential Notes: A Glimpse into the Reality of the Music Industry, will alter the "mindset" of today's generation of musicians.

"I'm tired of seeing someone reaching a level of stardom and then nothing is happening for them for another five years, because even if they have [achieved] generational success, it's not generational wealth," said Squidell, whose given name is Demonie Wilson. He warned young entertainers about spending their first earned funds on material items but instead should seek to make "long-term investments in order[to reap] long-term legacy". Squidell's book, his first, was released in May. He said the book allows consumers/fans to have an idea of what's really happening within the music industry.

"[Many people] have the notion that it is one way in but it is really not that, [and] by explaining those scenarios it's like explaining to aspiring, and even foundation artistes, by giving them ideas and tips on how to make their careers better and the best route to take to achieve success," said Squidell. He underscored that many 'nine-day wonder' artistes are around because they enter music for the "love of it and not the business". Speaking on his guest speaker invitation, he said the University of Westminster personnel read the book and found it interesting.

"They think there are a lot of valuable insights within it, so they said they need to get it on the reading list. So now it's been added to the list of the university as well," Squidell shared. He also revealed that his book was added to The University of the West Indies' curriculum, and he was specially invited as a guest lecturer at Mona campus next semester. He added that while the UK students were very "invested and interested in Jamaican culture", one of the most frequently asked questions is 'Why is the Caribbean music not as mainstream as the [international] genres?' Squidell simply concluded that it's due to "most of our music not going through the proper professional systems". He said though he was a little concerned about the outcome of the lecture, he said he "loved the experience [which] was great because persons are surprisingly more focused on the business part of music than becoming a superstar".

Squidell, who currently manages dancehall artistes Govana and Chi Ching Ching, works for Atlantic Records in the UK. He said he would like to see younger artistes develop a stronger sense of "unity", especially with the musical elders.

"I believe there are so many things they can learn from any artiste who has been in the business before them - just have a better relationship with yuh elders because that is how you're going to learn and avoid the mistakes that those established artistes made," he urged. In doing so, he opined that moving forward, the industry will have "more professionals and better businesses".

As it relates to the current context and message of modern music, he said it's "nothing new", just an evolution of the new generation of artistes "with a bolder approach".

"[They are] taking pieces from previous musical genres/songs and piecing them together with a stronger influence from social media and the American music and I believe one day something beautiful is gonna come out of it," he said.