On July 23, 2025, Liberians across the country received a mass SMS from Lonestar Cell MTN promoting CIC’s newly released album Local Champion. The message read: “CIC’s new album LOCAL CHAMPION drops today. Here’s a link to listen…”, followed by a streaming link. On the surface, it seemed like a major endorsement of Liberian music by one of the country’s most powerful telecom giants.
But behind the celebration, questions are now being raised about timing, fairness, and potential conflicts of interest, especially with the Liberia Music Awards (LMA) just around the corner.
While it’s not uncommon for brands to promote local content, what sets this case apart is that MTN is not only Liberia’s largest GSM company, it’s also the official sponsor of the LMA, one of the nation’s biggest music award shows. CIC, a top-tier artist and former MTN brand ambassador, is expected to be among this year’s most nominated names.
The issue? Songs from the Local Champion album, particularly Congratulations and Happy, are believed to fall within the current award review period. That means the same company backing the award show is also promoting one potential nominee’s album to millions via its SMS platform. The optics are complicated.
To some, it feels like an unfair advantage. To others, it may simply be a matter of business.
It’s important to also note that MTN offers this promotional SMS service as part of its digital marketing solutions, and it’s available to anyone willing to pay for it. That includes musicians, promoters, organizations, and brands.
In this light, it’s entirely possible , even likely, that CIC or his team paid for the promotion, just like any other artist could. If true, the situation becomes less about special treatment and more about access to resources.
Still, critics argue that the overlap between sponsorship and promotion should be handled with more transparency, especially when a single company is playing multiple roles in the industry, from marketer to sponsor to board executive(via its financial support of the award show).
CIC is one of Liberia’s most consistent and hard-working artists. His music speaks for itself. This debate isn’t about his talent or whether he deserves recognition. It’s about perception, process, and how institutional credibility is preserved in a small but growing industry.
If fans start to believe awards are swayed by corporate favoritism or financial influence, the value of those awards could begin to erode. The last thing Liberia’s creative sector needs is to fall into a system where power, not merit, decides who gets celebrated.
This moment presents a valuable opportunity for everyone in the entertainment ecosystem:
MTN can clarify how its promotional services work and ensure that access is clearly communicated to all artists, not just high-profile figures.
LMA organizers can establish and publicly share conflict-of-interest guidelines that reassure fans and artists alike of an impartial awards process.
Artists can begin exploring available marketing tools and services, including SMS blasts, to compete on more equal ground.
Promotion isn’t the enemy, lack of transparency is. MTN supporting Liberian music is a good thing. But when that support overlaps with award sponsorship, the process must be handled carefully. Whether CIC paid for the service or not, this situation is a timely reminder that perception and fairness must always walk side by side in a growing entertainment industry.
Liberia’s music scene is evolving. To protect its credibility, everyone involved, sponsors, organizers, and artists, must prioritize balance, access, and trust. Only then can true champions be celebrated without controversy.
