Celebrity couples: The joys and perils
If celebrity couples divided opinion in the past, social media has made this even more so by providing a platform for real-time updates and engagement – attracting love and hate in almost equal measure.
But the huge following celebrity couples attract on their social media accounts is also a lucrative venture.
However, inasmuch as parading almost every aspect of their lives for the world to see may be good for a couple’s brand, it often comes with unintended consequences, and gets worse when there is a scandal of any shade or a break-up.
Nonetheless, in the digital age, getting into a romantic relationship and displaying lives on social media is perhaps the fastest way for celebrities to gain more fame.
The public is always curious to find out who a celebrity is dating or married to, and in the absence of fact, gossip feeds that quest for updates.
That excitement peaks when two famous people, who are superstars in their own right as individuals, come together — often opening massive opportunities for the pair to cash in on the fame.
Globally, whether it is American superstars Beyonce and Jay Z, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West (now no longer together) or Will Smith and Jada Pinkett, social media users can’t seem to get enough of celebrity couples. However, this idolisation comes with all sorts of pressure, blurring the line between fact and fiction, reality and make-believe in the lives of celebrity couples played out online in an attempt to live up to the hype they create. For their followers, this is the life to dream of. Expensive romantic gestures by celebrity couples, for example, are looked at as relationship goals by their fans.
Famous pairs in Kenya follow that script, just like other celebrities across the world.
What would a psychologist say of the phenomenon? According to Kezia Wanjau, the head of psychology at the Limuru Cottage Hospital, being a celebrity couple may sound and look good but it is an unenviable position.
“Celebrity couples are under pressure to be perfect because their fans won’t accept anything less,” she says.
It takes a lot of maturity to handle the pressure, especially when the couple is facing a scandal or children are involved. The internet doesn’t help either, because it documents each of their mistakes and opens up their children to public ridicule.
Teenagers particularly suffer when their celebrity parents go through the storm of a scandal, Kezia explains.
Though companies capitalise on this influence to market themselves and line the pockets of the couples, those who can’t afford this lavish lifestyle often pay with their relationships.
“Unrealistic expectations are a leading cause of conflict in relationships,” Kezia says. “Although our family, friends and society play a big role in creating these expectations, celebrity culture also contributes a great deal.”
Many relationships have suffered because their real-life love fails to match up to the fairy tale-esque image created by celebrity couples.
Kymo Thitima (William Kamore) and Pika na Raych (Raych Gitau), a musician and YouTuber respectively whose relationship is keenly followed by a number of online fans, agree that there is a need to give audiences a disclaimer so they don’t get the wrong impression.
“We fight in real life and face the same day-to-day challenges as any couple. But those are our private moments. We can’t put that on display,” Pika na Raych says. “It’s a tricky balance between trying to keep it real while at the same time maintaining the sanctity of our marriage and family; so we can’t show you everything.”
Many don’t realise that some of these publicity stunts are paid for by brands that are marketing their products and services. Some couples go as far as pretending to present expensive birthday gifts such as cars and lavish houses to their partners, only to return them after the cameras stop rolling. Nonetheless, celebrity couples continue to be a source of entertainment, inspiration and excitement for their social media followers who just can’t get enough of them. Lifestyle looks at ten couples popular on social media.
1.Nameless and Wahu
Nameless and Wahu.
They are among the longest-lasting celebrity couples in the country with decades of songs, memories and celebrity kids to match. With little bad press about them, they have cut for themselves one of the cleanest brands in Kenyan showbiz, which is paying the bills and leaving some change.
2. Rashid Abdalla and Lulu Hassan
Rashid Abdalla and Lulu Hassan.
Love on TV prime time news was unheard of until news broke that the two had been paired for 7pm weekend bulletins on Citizen TV. They had been anchoring news in rival TV stations until some genius decided to put them on the same screen. They have given an otherwise serious affair of delivering news a very fresh twist and provided loads of content for comedians to make fun of.
3. DJ Mo and Size 8
DJ Mo and his wife Size 8.
Once considered the first couple of gospel, DJ Mo and Size 8, or Samuel and Linet Muraya, continue to enjoy an iconic status. They were both household names before they came together, but their relationship elevated them, especially because it happened after Size 8 switched from secular to gospel music. It is a relationship that’s been rocked by rumours of infidelity, touching stories of sickness and recovery, a reality TV show and multiple joint projects. Through it all, they have weathered the storm and reaped handsome returns.
4. Bahati and Diana
Bahati and Diana
“Prayer partner” used to have a very different meaning until these two came into the scene, and they have been breaking the internet with their life stories ever since. When rumours of their relationship first came out, Bahati responded by saying that she was his prayer partner, a pun that Kenyans ran with. Many years down the line, it seems their prayers have been answered. The two have gone on to build solid brands that work well both together and as strong individual identities.
5. Njugush and Celestine “Wanavinye”
Njugush and Celestine “Wanavinye”
This couple needs to be given an award of some kind by Instagram because they changed the app forever. Their skits have given rise to a whole generation of Instagram comedians who have gone on to revolutionise comedy in a way comparable only to the Churchill Show. Their content and family-friendly brand continues to not only inspire and entertain but also to mint them a pretty penny.
6. Frankie “Just Gym It” and Corazon Kwamboka
Frankie “Just Gym It” and Corazon Kwamboka.
If ever there was a club for Kenyan socialites, Corazon would probably be the founding member, her looks drawing fans for years. It is however her pairing with fitness enthusiast Frankie Kiarie alias Frankie Just Gym It that catapulted them to a whole new level of fame. Their relationship began in a cloud of controversy because they were both in public relationships just before coming together. Their lives continue to be a real-life soap opera that fans just won’t stop following on social media with.
7. Grace Enkirapa and Pascal Tokodi
Grace Enkirapa and Pascal Tokodi.
An odd pairing from the get-go, rumours started swirling after they appeared on King Kaka’s music video, You, as a couple on their wedding day. The combination of lover boy Pascal Tokodi and good girl Grace Enkirapa wasn’t making sense in the minds of many people. Luckily for the two, love is not a democracy; it’s an affair between two hearts. So, everyone else just had to fall in place. On the business end, their union has definitely been blessed, with multiple endorsement deals flying their way.
The pair first came to the light when their parody video of Congolese singer Koffi Olominde kicking his dancer trended all over. William Kamore aka Kymo made his break after his song with Stiga, Thitima, became a hit back in the day. His wife Raych Gitau, on the other hand, became famous through her Pika na Raych channel where she shared recipes. However, it was not until they started appearing together on her YouTube channel after Raych got pregnant that their fortunes took a whole new twist.
8. Kymo Thitima and Pika na Raych
Kymo Thitima and Pika na Raych.
The pair first came to the light when their parody video of Congolese singer Koffi Olominde kicking his dancer trended all over. William Kamore aka Kymo made his break after his song with Stiga, Thitima, became a hit back in the day. His wife Raych Gitau, on the other hand, became famous through her Pika na Raych channel where she shared recipes. However, it was not until they started appearing together on her YouTube channel after Raych got pregnant that their fortunes took a whole new twist.
9. WaJesus Family
WaJesus Family.
This is arguably the one pair that is most loved and hated in equal measure. Flamboyant and trendy, they make fans follow and ape their every move while detractors accuse the pair of misleading young people with a false lifestyle. Love them or hate them, it remains undisputed that Peter Kabi and Milly Wambui are an influential force in this digital generation.
10. Arrow Bwoy and Nadia
Arrow Bwoy and Nadia
After having a secret love affair for a while, the pair shocked fans with the big news that they are dating. It was received with mixed feelings. One of the ways celebrities build hype around them is by entering a jaw-dropping union, and it is suspected that there are some stars who pair up just for fame’s sake. When rapper Arrow Bwoy (Ali Yusuf) and singer Nadia Mukami first came out, people chopped it down to a publicity stunt to promote their new song Raha, which was seen as a follow-up to their highly successful hit single Radio Love. However, after an Insta Live session by Nadia in which Arrow Bwoy shows up shirtless, fans finally believed that theirs was not just radio love. The pair have gone on to do tours together and are gearing up to cash in on the elevated status that their relationship has started giving them. BY DAILY NATION
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