Nigerian singer Johnny Drille has shared valuable advice with emerging artists, stressing the importance of financial discipline and future planning in the entertainment industry.
Speaking on the CreativTEA podcast, Drille cautioned young creatives against trying to imitate the lavish lifestyles of famous musicians, urging them instead to save and invest wisely to secure their financial futures.
He explained that fame is temporary and that every artist has a limited period in the spotlight before public attention shifts to new acts.
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Drille encouraged artists to take advantage of their peak years to build stability rather than spend excessively on luxuries that offer no long-term benefit.
Sharing his personal experience, the Mavin Records artist revealed that he recently bought a home with his wife and is currently building another for his parents in Benin.
He warned that many of the flashy displays seen in the industry are often deceptive, noting that some artists go to great lengths to appear wealthy.
According to him, it is better to live modestly while balancing enjoyment with sensible planning for the future.
He said, “My retirement advice to artists is that I think it’s the same principle across. Yeah, definitely save, invest, whatever form that would take.
“My wife and I just got a house, trying to build one for my parents back in Benin. So it’s like, I see a lot of people, a lot of artists, you know, because they see Wizkid and Burna Boy flaunting all these cars. And maybe that’s what we should be doing.
“That’s what artists do. So let’s do that too. Be flaunting and be spending all your money on like, you know, luxury that you don’t really need, and at the end of the day, it’s like, as much as we want to believe that everybody’s going to be relevant forever, everybody will not be relevant forever. Everybody has a set amount of time where you’re going to pop and you’re going to make money.
“And there’s going to be a time when people are not going to be interested in you. They’re going to go look for the next guy or the next new guy. That’s going to be their person.
“I think every, every, every person, every creative has a span and you have to make the most of that span and that is saving, investing and not, not copying whatever flashy lifestyle you see out there. And sometimes a lot of those things I’ve heard some of them are not even real, like people are boring to show off, you know, and you can’t let that inspire you, you have to think for yourself and think of a future, but I think a lot of artists don’t really think about the future, just in a now. Let’s enjoy our lives.
“Of course, enjoy your life, but also think about the future. Well, it’s crazy. I mean, I do have like one or two expensive things, but nothing, nothing, nothing crazy. Well, please advise them.”
