Video Vixens Groupies or Professionals?

VIDEO Vixens are a different breed of performers. Chosen for their sexy good looks, more than their ability to act and dance most times, these ladies star in the music videos of our favourite musicians.

With the emergence of the local music scene and the improvement of local music videos, we are seeing more and more video vixens take centre stage.The Weekender finds out about life behind the camera for a video vixen.Friends and FansLe-Roy Mohamed, better known by his stage name, Quido said video vixens are often sourced from local model agencies. He also admitted that often he uses friends in his music videos.’People use friends, girlfriends or just ask the public for video girls,’ he said.He believes there is a need for new faces in local videos because currently, the same people seem to appear in video after video.Another local artist, Young Cashley has been a hit on the music scene since his emergence and he believes the industry has potential, but there is something not going right.He said few individuals with the right qualities become successful video vixens. ‘Those that don’t have the qualities are the ones that end up on the TV screen for a lack of options or simply because they have more confidence than anyone else,’ he said.Young Cashley has the same opinion as Quido about the recycling of the same old faces.’We have a few individuals that live up to expectations, but they are only a handful and what happens is the overuse or recycling of their services.’They, according to Young Cashley are the people you will see in almost every music video by major Namibian artists. ‘They are caught in between being a model and a vixen. Being a vixen is still not a speciality here, unlike in Nigeriaor South Africa were most vixens have turned themselves into professionals and have become successful enough to even invest in other business prospects,’ he said.Financial GainThe Weekender is well informed that a local prominent music group pays N$100 per hour for appearances in music videos, N$200 for lead characters.That means, for someone to make N$1000, he or she needs to work up to ten or five hours for a lead character.And Young Cashley believes models are doing far better than the vixens here.’There is no structured approach towards contracting a vixen. Compared to a model because most models belong to an agency.’ He added that musicians don’t realise and appreciate the value that vixens add to their final products and says that this does not create a conducive environment for video vixens to work in.’Most of them end up being exploited financially and sometimes even sexually and this further creates a lack of incentives for vixens to take their work seriously, conduct themselves professionally or to inspire others to join the trade,’ he said.Behind the scenesAccording well placed sources, drug abuse and exotic sexual encounters are the order of the day at music videos shoots and after parties, especially for prominent artists.Cashley, says he personally hasn’t witnessed this though.’I hear of it now and then in the entertainment corridors. Mostly it’s linked to a few major artists. I’ve had random people walk up to me just to say: congratulations [on winning a Namas award], well done and please stay away from drugs, or avoid a, b and c. Those guys are bad for you,’ he said.’So clearly it’s happening somewhere,’ he added.Northern based sources in the music industry also claim that there are musicians using young girls in music videos, in a bid to solicit sexual favours.’They lie to girls that they will be in their next music video and sleep with them,’ said the source.’I heard about how some artists here in Namibia invite girls over under false pretenses to shoot a video and while they wait for camera crew, they have drink and start partying. One thing leads to another and at the end of the day, it is said the guys [camera crew] switched off their phones,’ says a local music agent who declined to be named.’Since it’s clear that there won’t be a music video shot anymore, the idea is, ‘let’s not waste the booze’.’Sex orgies are a regular occurrence during and after music video shoots, according to a source who is very close to local artists.The source, who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity due to professional reasons, said that apart from alcohol and drugs (to some extent), sex between the girls featuring in the videos and the back-up dancers of the main artists is a regular occurance.’In fact, some of these poor girls have to pay with their bodies if they want to feature in the videos. It is a pity some of these young girls have to go through this kind of treatment and that for a few moments of fame.’I promise you they will do anything to appear in a music video which gives them bragging rights on the campus. I pity them because the artists are actually supposed to pay them and not the other way around,’ continued the source.He pointed out that the featured girl in the video is the only one that is paid for her services and she is usually treated with respect.’In other countries artists have to go through agencies to get girls for video shoots. Here things are negotiated directly between the girl the artist.’These featured girls are treated with respect though but the bunch in the background have to be content with the lots of alcohol and braaivleis that is provided. Some of these guys don’t even shoot according to a script meaning that a video shoot can drag on for days,’ the source noted.He went on to explain that although it is common knowledge that some artists use drugs like dagga, it is not freely smoked on set.’The artists have their sidekicks with whom they do certain things and not even the girls know what is happening behind closed doors. It is a known fact that this and that artist smokes dagga but when he does it no one else knows.’Some of the girls become so hooked on these artists’ back-up dancers that they would follow them wherever they go to perform around the country. Or the dancers have a girlfriend in every town where they normally perform, just for sex.’From the Video Vixen’s MouthVideo vixen Maria ‘Mshashobabe’ Nepembe has acted in a number of local music videos. She has worked with artists including The Saints, Ompuf, The Dogg and most recently PDK. In total she has been the leading lady in six videos since she started acting in them in 2010.’For my first video I was paid around N$450 which was not much, but it was something. I will not work for free’ says Nepembe who charges up to N$2500 to appear in a music video.She says she hasn’t received any bad treatment on the sets of music videos and has always been paid on time. Asked if there is any abuse of alcohol or drugs on set, she says that she hasn’t witnessed anything.’If there is alcohol it’s because it’s a bar or club scene and people will drink but I wouldn’t call it abuse.’Thanks to being in Kwatio artist’s The Dogg’s ‘Deception’ music video, which received massive air play on both MTV Base and Channel O, Nepembe has been seen across the Africa continent.Currently studying at Unam, she says she enjoys being in videos even though sometimes people still don’t understand the concept of acting.Her acting has raised eyebrows recently, after starring in PDK’s ‘Dirty Kandeshi’ video in which she plays a shameless golddigger.’People say I am portraying myself, they don’t understand that it is acting. I don’t pay attention to this kind of talk.’ she concludes.

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