Having an “identity” (what we often term as “brand” in Ghana) in the world of showbiz is very important. For successful people like the likes of Beyoncé, who have stayed on top for so many years, her identity, not only in personality and music, but in looks, has contributed to her brand.

The “Queen Bey” is popularly known for sporting a big blonde hair in almost all her appearances. Whether it is a fro, weave, curly hair, short hair, braids, et.c, they all come in blonde for the Queen.

Nicki Minaj for example, although her style has evolved over the years, will forever be remembered as ‘barbie’ because she worked hard for years to imprint that “brand”in the eyes and minds of her fans.

In Ghana, artistes like M.anifest, who has taken up an afrocentric look, has made the rapper stand out and easily identifiable. Samini for example, with his dreadlocks has also created an easily identifiable niche for himself and his craft that span years. Pappy Kojo’s hairstyle stands out so much that you cannot mistake him for anybody else.

Amongst the ladies, Lydia Forson’s love for her big beautiful natural hair has gone a long way to create sort of a brand for her; wearing it so elegantly in different styles.

However, Wendy Shay, who has self-tagged herself as the “Queen of Ghana Music” is still trying to find herself in the industry 3 years down the line.

When Wendy Shay was first introduced to us in 2018 by Rufftown Records, shortly after the demise of Ebony Reigns, she was a sweet beautiful youngster, ready to take her rightful place in the music industry.

Her first song, “Uber Driver” did the magic for her and caught a lot of buzz for her. Her first look, a curly wig was soon seen as her trademark, as she wore the same style, although in different colours, and cuts everywhere.

Wendy’s decision, to spot a particular type of hairstyle, soon caught the attention of Ghanaians who trolled her left right centre for wearing one wig everyday. Wendy Shay responded to her critics stating that she loved curly wigs, hence her decision to wear them everyday.

To me, this bold move, that had already caught the attention of Ghanaians, was a perfect way for Wendy Shay to take that up as her ‘brand’ and find a way to make it stick in the minds of Ghanaians.

Soon enough, the “Queen of Ghana Music” got fed up of her curly wigs and decided to reveal a new identity; a “bad bitch” look.

The “Bedroom Commando” hitmaker out-doored her new look to Ghanaians in the early months of 2020, where she shockingly got almost every part of her body pierced. Wendy revealed that she currently has 15 different piercings and was looking forward to getting more. This new look again, got the tongues of Ghanaians wagging and we thought it was about to stay forever.

However, just a few months later, the Rufftown Records signee has once again out-doored a new Wendy Shay; a blonde-dreadlocks look. To signify the birth of her new look, she’s deleted every old photo of her on her social media pages.

This time round however, the buzz surrounding her new look is significantly low. People are tired of her constant need to rebrand and have stayed indifferent on the subject.

It is not so surprising that her fans and Ghanaians are not reacting to “the new Wendy Shay.” As an artiste, who is very young in the industry, the constant need to throw new identities into the faces of your fans becomes too distracting.

The late Ebony Reigns, successfully got Ghanaians glued to her and her craft by giving us an identity that stuck in our minds.

One will argue, that Wendy Shay is a woman, and as such, is free to experiment with several hairstyles. However, I believe her drastic hairstyle and personality changes, especially as an artiste  are becoming one too many.

It is important for the Wendy and her management, to find a look that works for her and is appealing to the fans and stick to it. Instead of the continuous need to show up with a new look, she should focus the energy on giving us more hit songs and solidify her place as the “Queen of Ghana Music.”