Ubi Franklin narrates how P-square tried to sign Iyanya

Renowned Nigerian music executive and talent manager, Ubi Franklin, has shared the story of how he terminated a deal with P-Square to sign singer, Iyanya.

Ubi Franklin recounted that P-Square had shown interest in signing Iyanya during a pivotal moment in his career. However, they ultimately decided against it. Speaking on the Afrobeats podcast with Adesope Olajide, Franklin detailed how the actions of P-Square during the negotiations left him feeling slighted.

“We got to their house, Paul, Peter, and their manager, Jude Okoye, asked me to wait outside and went in with Iyanya. I was boiling outside. Iyanya would have gotten that deal with P-Square but the fact that they said I should wait outside bruised my ego. I said to them, ‘you know what, even if I was offered $50 million, I would reject the deal.’ Guess what, Eldee’s deal was actually better than theirs. The day we got back from that meeting I told Iyanya lets start our label. I said if we start our label these guys will take us seriously”.

Nigerian artist and songwriter Iyanya recently released his latest album Once Upon A Cat. The album dropped on February 2, 2024. The album comprises of 13 tracks featuring emerging Nigerian talents like Young Duu, Qing Madi, and others. Iyanya emphasized his decision to simultaneously release music videos for all 13 songs