OTTAWA, Ontario (CelebrityAccess) — The RBC Bluesfest team managed to turn a potential PR disaster into a media moment when they addressed last week's leak of their 2015 lineup with a parody video of Kanye West’s “Only One” while announcing West as an addition to the festival's lineup.
The video, which mirrors the opening scene from West's "Only One" features the festival’s executive director, Mark Monahan running down a remote road, laughing and breathing hard. Monihan next teases the announcement of Kanye West for the festival's lineup and then indulges a sweet tooth with a cupcake that we understand was provided as an apology to the festival from the leaker.
"It was a designer cupcake," Monahan told CelebrityAccess. "And it was delicious."
The video, recorded Saturday, and posted as a default landing page on the festival’s website Sunday, received thousands of views within hours of posting and generated a strong buzz ahead of the Kanye announcement for a very modest investment.
“Fortunately, we had another ace up our sleeve in the form of a Kanye West performance, so we thought we’d have a little fun with it,” says Monahan. “It’s always a challenge to keep a tight rein on the line-up, but with today’s technology people will always poke around to see what they can find. We felt his would be a novel way to announce some good news, while at the same time not taking things too seriously."
When asked about Kanye's booking, particularly in light of the strong reaction on social media to Kanye's headlining slot at Glastonbury this year, Monahan said:
"A big reaction, either positive of negative can be a positve thing. An artist who polarizes people, not for the wrong reasons, but through their art, can be a good thing. He evokes emotion, which leads to interest, which is good for a festival producer." – Staff Writers
The Parody video
The original Kanye video
