Spoken-word artist Juan Miguel Severo blasts mall for offering to give him free food in exchange for performance 

Another example of a creative fighting for proper compensation has gone viral after Filipino spoken-word artist Juan Miguel Severo blasted a mall for allegedly only offering him free food in exchange for a performance.

“A mall invites me. To perform. For a free meal. And to ‘further promote’ my craft. I know I’m poor but bitch???” he said in a tweet on Friday. It now has more than 17,000 likes and more than 1,000 retweets.

https://twitter.com/TheRainBro/status/1157235144928817152?s=20

Severo, who is quite well-known and has appeared on TV and in film, followed this up with a screenshot of the mall’s alleged message and said “Fellow spoken word artists: If you receive the same message, do everyone else a favor and say no.”

https://twitter.com/TheRainBro/status/1157238404377014272?s=20

In the message, the representative from the unnamed mall wrote: “…was wondering if you and your team would be agreeable on an exdeal (meals) in return.”

To this, Severo replied: “Seriously? Just free food? A mall. Inviting artists. To perform. For food?”

“Sorry, I find this invitation disrespectful to my craft and to artists,” he said.

The artist censored the name of the mall and its upcoming campaign for which he was being hired for but based on the message, it looks like the event is a celebration of Buwan ng Wika, an annual month-long national celebration of the Filipino language.

“You don’t celebrate Buwan ng Wika by exploiting artists that promote our national languages all year long,” Severo said in his reply.

In reply to another tweet, he said that his talent is free but his time is not.

“Yes, I do things for free. A benefit? A rally? A fundraiser? Game. But a mall????” Severo said. “Artists should value their craft enough to say no and not be sorry.”

https://twitter.com/TheRainBro/status/1157240264429207553?s=20

“If you aren’t willing to pay your artists, cancel your event,” he said in what looks like a screenshot of his message.

https://twitter.com/TheRainBro/status/1157244807179190272?s=20

Many netizens agreed with Severo’s sentiments.

“If someone popular like Juan Miguel is treated like this, what more those who are just starting in the industry,” Twitter user @saintaivan69 said in Filipino.

“It’s the same with musicians, painters, photographers, and other art and music [people]. Please treat their craft as a unique one, what they’re doing is also difficult, you just think it’s not.”

“When they just see your craft as a mere form of art but not a source of income. That’s hard,” said @gelaiiesme.

https://twitter.com/gelaiiesme/status/1157237170903457792?s=20

“You deserve waaaay better than that! It’s not about being proud but you know your worth,” tweeted @worldismadness.

However, some also called Severo out for how he responded to the mall representative’s message.

@maxterpiece23 said: “But seriously, there is a proper and polite way of saying no. They probably have no intention to belittle your talent, maybe that’s really all they can offer. A simple ‘no’ will do. Just my two cents.”

In another tweet yesterday, Severo shared an apology that he said he sent to the mall. He said sorry for “snapping” at the mall representative who contacted him but also maintained his stance that artists should be treated better.

“First of all, I wanna apologize for the way I snapped at you. I know you’re just doing your job and didn’t realize I was shooting the messenger. I’m sorry,” Severo said. “That said — and this goes to your superiors — I remain firm in my stand. Artists should not be taken advantage, exploited, and given less than they’re due, especially by big companies and corporations under which establishments such as yours belong.”

https://twitter.com/TheRainBro/status/1157969641328611328?s=20

He also said that he will not be performing for the event but asked that other spoken-words artists who were invited be compensated properly.

This is not the first time an issue like this went viral in the Philippines, where many artists and creatives are paid poorly. In June last year, actor Jameson Blake was at the receiving end of netizens’ ire when he called out to graphic designers in a tweet to create a cover photo for his social media accounts in exchange for a “shout out.”



Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The reaction is over the top. Considering you are a communication professional, you could have just said no – and maybe give them a better way to handle things. For you to react with such indignation means it is fueled by how highly you think of yourself. To repeatedly try and publicly berate and humiliate the mall is uncalled for. If they offered you a job, it must mean they like you to a degree. When they offered food I’m sure it wasn’t to insult you. Now, you’ve misused media as so many others have done. Time for us to re-visit our values – not value.

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on