Polemic: Does singing in many languages really help?

It is not uncommon to hear some Cameroonian musicians lace their singing with French if they sing primarily in English or English if they sing mainly in French. This has made some budding artists to think singing in two or more languages is an asset. Permit me think it is  not. While every artist is free to sing as he/she pleases, it is hoped that the reason for this is not to reach a wider audience.  If this is the reason then there are at least two problems with this way of seeing things.Firstly, such a view is implicitly based on the view that linguistic diversity is  an obstacle to the exportation of music. This is certainly not the case when we know that Cameroonian artists like Richard Bona are popular although they sing in their native languages. Secondly, if  artists believe that singing in more than one language will get them acclaim in more than a community then they are underlooking the power of their talent to enable them connect with people with whom do not share the same language. Let’s remember that music can still exist even without words being uttered. Furthermore,when an artist has a limited view  of his/her talent then it will be difficult to convince a producer. This is because as business people, producers would  like to invest in somebody whose music can echo loud even in communities speaking a different language. Budding musicians should avoid having such a defeatist attitude because it might cage their talent. They should endeavour to borrow many leaves from artists  like Henry Dikongue and a host of others who all sing in their native languages but are heard worldwide. This issue equally concerns other artists who sing in their native tongue but often inject French and English into their songs. If you sing only in your mother tongue and are talented, you will still connect with people. Language should  not be seen as an obstacle to how high an artist can soar because talent and only talent is the  propeller of every carrier.