Senegalese-American singer Akon has said musicians are not as wealthy as many assumed.

He claimed that, contrary to the flamboyant aesthetics and luxurious lifestyles many artistes flaunt on social media and in music videos, many of them are not financially stable.

In an interview with Hip Hop Eye, Akon explained that music is lucrative, but it is the executives and those in the back end who make more money, not the artists.

“In the music industry, the artist is the last to get paid. He is the broke one, but he is the most famous. If you want to be broke and famous, be an artiste.

“But if you want to make real money, go to other sectors of the music business, like the producer, songwriter, manager, agent and attorney. There are so many areas in the entertainment field that you can really maximise,” he said.