To regain public attention and rebuild his reputation, his record label came up with a bold idea that required him to take on an unusual appearance and behavior in public.
It was a marketing move designed to create curiosity and redirect the narrative surrounding him.
The musician recounted that his management asked him to style his hair in a messy way and wear torn clothes, making him look like someone mentally unstable.
He was then taken to various public places, including markets and busy streets, where he had to act out the role while being secretly filmed.
The idea was to create a mysterious image that would later make people curious about his transformation when he returned as a polished performer.
Sir Shina Peters revealed that one of the locations for the dramatization was Badagry, where Julius Berger was working on an overhead bridge project at the time.
The stunt was carefully executed to attract public attention without exposing the actual plan behind it.
It was a creative strategy that later helped reintroduce him to the music scene in a new and memorable way.
He said, “The owner of the label called me one day and said I would plate my hair and not loosen it for three days. He also asked me to tear some of my old clothes, which I did,” he narrated. “On the third day, they loosened the hair but didn’t comb it. Then I wore the torn clothes, and they took me to Oyingbo Market to buy ewedu. As I was buying it, they captured everything on camera, but I didn’t know what they were up to.”
Through that experience, the musician demonstrated how strategic image management can play a major role in a performer’s career.
Despite the challenges he faced after leaving his former band, Sir Shina Peters successfully reinvented himself and went on to build a remarkable legacy in the Nigerian music industry.
