There’s only one person that would have separated us – P-Square

In an interview with Showtime, the eccentric twins
that make up pop group, P-Square, spoke exclusively
about their busy schedules, music and the only
person that would have made him split with his
brother.
Excerpts:
You are always on the road, how many days do you
guys have to yourselves?
We have been trying as much as possible to create
time for ourselves. But most times, we don’t get it.
We need more time to rest because performing for
2-3 hours on stage is not usually an easy task.
Despite the fact that we have been travelling over the
world, we took a break in January, and right now, we
have resumed business again.
Sometime ago, it was rumoured that your latest
album, ‘Alingo’ was banned which was later
refuted. How did you receive the news?
We heard about the ban. But when they ban a
particular song, they are indeed helping to promote
that song. By the way, if they ban a song from being
broadcast in Nigerian stations, will they stop MTV,
Channel O, Soundcity and other cable networks from
playing the same song. It’s not possible.
What is the making of Alingo?
Psquare for the past five years hasn’t done any dance
video and our fans expected to see something of that
nature from us. So, ‘Alingo’ was just the first song we
had even before the ‘Invasion’ album came out. We
didn’t take the song seriously until when our fans
started loving it. And before we knew what was
happening, it caught fire. We have no choice than to
give our fans a video.
You put in a lot of energies to do the video?
Yes, it was my own idea. When the song started
picking up, we thought it is important to give our fans
something they have never gotten from Psquare in
the past five years. The last time we did something
similar to this, ‘Roll It’ was over five years ago. It took
us a lot of time and energies to produce the album.
Our senior brother, Jude who is also our manager
shot the video. Interestingly, most people didn’t know
that the video was shot in Nigeria. We went to an
abandoned warehouse situated some ten minutes
away from our Lagos residence to shoot the video.
Sometime last year, you guys did a remix of
Beautiful ‘Onyinye’ with Rick Ross, American
artiste. You also got signed to Konvict Music,
owned by Akon. What’s the situation like
presently?
Our relationship with Akon is great. We have known
Akon for over six year but we were not looking
forward to working with him until last two years when
he attended our concert in London. After watching us
perform on stage, he developed interest in working
with us.
Then, he was planning to open a branch of his
Konvict Musik record label in Africa and he was in
need of business partners who would help him
coordinate the business. That was how we teamed up
with him to establish Konvict Musik in Nigeria. We are
representing Akon in Africa just as he is representing
in America. That’s the whole idea.
It was also rumoured some time ago that you
guys bought a private jet. Was it true?
There was nothing like that. I guess because it was
included in our list that whenever we are going for a
specific show, the organsiers must provide us with a
private jet. We had a deal with a private jet company
which always hire their private jet to us whenever we
are in need of it. It’s like, we have a private jet at our
disposal. I remember, I once tweeted that a private
jet has been included in our list. That was how people
started speculating that Psquare has bought a private
jet. But we always travel with the jet all the time.
But do you have a plan to buy a private jet?
To be honest with you, the way things are going, we
are planning to buy one. And it’s not because of the
cost implication of hiring a private jet, but the fact
that we want to meet up with our concerts.
What would you say, you haven’t done since you
started your musical career?
I think we have virtually done everything. But I don’t
want our fans to start speculating in respect of when
would Psquare break into the European or American
market. Africa is the next big thing for Psquare even
though Americans are in dire need of our kind of
stuff. They have exhausted everything they have to
offer. For me, I will rather be a king in my own
vicinity than to try to be a king in another man’s
land. We have achieved everything except that we
have not been able to structure the industry. The
problem is that when we try to do so, some greedy
fellows always frustrate our efforts. For me, I’m not
complaining but I just feel it is important, we
structure the industry for a better tomorrow.
W as a 35-man committee members inaugurated
last week by PMAN Peace Initiative to restore
peace in the troubled musicians’ house?
I’m not aware of it. In fact, I’m hearing it for the first
time. The committee they claim to have set up, are
they musicians or people they feel they want to use
to pilot the affairs of the association. When we came
into the industry, it wasn’t like what we are seeing
today. Psquare was among the musicians that
structured the industry the way it is today. we were
among the first set of emerging musicians that started
making money from selling our CDs. When they are
setting up such a committee, what stopped them from
involving people like us.
If they don’t carry people like D’banj, 2face and
Psquare along, then, there is a problem. It means
they are just wasting their time. This is not because
we are successful in what we are doing, but it’s
because the industry is driven by individual effort. So,
if they are taking such a major decision that will
affect everybody in the industry and they don’t
involve us, then , there is a big problem. I’m not a
member of PMAN, and I don’t have any problem with
the association.
Are you not interested in the restoration of peace
in the industry?
I’m not interested in PMAN because the past
leadership of the association failed us. We don’t need
to be PMAN members to succeed in our careers. The
association hasn’t done anything for us. I don’t need
them.
The peace Initiative is trying to unite the
musicians again?
When they were setting up the interim
administration, they ought to have started from the
top and engage those musicians who command
respect in the industry. There is no musician in
Nigeria today who does not respect 2face. We can be
bigger than him in Africa, but I have so much respect
for him because he was among the younger
generation of Nigerian artistes who broke even
several years ago. It’s so disrespectful that an interim
administration was set up without our knowledge. If
they don’t get the three top Nigerian artistes;
Psquare, 2fac and D’banj, then, they are wasting
their time. I love our industry they way it is at the
moment. We don’t want a situation where , in the
name of association, somebody will start dictating the
pace for us. The more good we are, the more we
want to make more money for ourselves.
Which country would say is your largest market in
Africa?
At the moment, it’s East Africa. Anytime Nigerians
say, they are through with Psquare, will take our
things and relocate to East Africa. But South Africa is
a place where we have been working for the past one
year building market for our songs. We took a break
in January, this year, and between February and
March, we have been to Zambia, Mozambique,
Zimbabwe. We were in Angola two weeks ago and just
last week, we stormed Malawi. So, our potential
market at the moment is South Africa. We have built
all these markets by ourselves alone.
The impression most people have about you is
that Psquare is arrogant?
I think Psquare is very intimidating and we are not
arrogant. When you saw me today, did I look
arrogant? That’s a wrong impression people have
about us. There is Peter and there is Paul. Peter is
stubborn, bad and controversial, but they say Paul is
quiet, cool headed and all that. But you see, you
cannot steal from Peter to pay Paul. If you steal from
Peter to pay Paul, you are indeed paying Psquare. I’m
a very controversial person and I’m not expecting
every news about me to be positive. Psquare is not
arrogant, it’s just that the people are scared of
approaching them, considering the way we operate.
When you see Psquare stepping out, we look very
intimidating. But the people who are very close to
know that we are not arrogant. Beyonce could visit a
shopping mall today, and the whole place will be shut
down. That does not make her arrogant. It is her
management that has made it to be so.
How is life without your mother?
It has been hectic. We haven’t decided to do a new
album at the moment. But while she was alive, she
was always with us in the studio. We don’t know how
we are going to do it this time around. She was a
minister of God before she passed on. She had her
own Church which Paul and I built for her. Anytime,
we want to release a new album, she would pray on
the album for almost a week before we got it released
into the market. Her church is still functioning till date
and her prayer partners are still there. Once in while,
we do communicate with the leadership of the church
and it was our desire to see the church continues to
function after her death. Wherever she is today, she
will be happy that the church is still functioning
because it’s a monument for her.
But did you guys really know what happened to
your mother?
People must always speculate . It got to a point, I said
to myself that those people who are accusing us of
being responsible for our mum’s death must be
ignorant of how close we were to her. We didn’t want
that rumour to distract us. In fact, when people are
insinuating such things, the best advice is for you to
block your ears and never allowed it to distract you.
I’m human, and I don’t except people to say positive
things about Psquare all the time. Psquare have
made its worst mistake in the past, and nobody
noticed it. We are not perfect. And we know why
people were accusing us of being responsible for our
mother’s death. It’s because we are successful in
what we are doing for a living. Even in my Igbo
nation, once somebody starts to progress, his kinsmen
will start to associate his riches with money ritual. We
have overgrown such insinuation.
We have seen great musical groups split in the
industry. Will Psquare ever split some day?
Like I said earlier, each time, people look at Peter
and Paul, they conclude that we are perfect. But they
don’t know that I fight with Paul the same way he
fights with me. We quarrel and fight with each other
the same way you quarrel and fight with your
siblings. The only thing that matters most is that we
don’t bring such quarrel into our business.
I always tell my friends, the only person who will tell
us to split is our mother but she’s no more. Even if
she were to be alive, would she allow us to split? The
day we are going to make up our minds to split, it will
be an open decision. May be, when I say I want to
retire or Paul says he wants to continue with his
career in music. That does not mean that I wouldn’t
give him my support.
What has kept two of you together?
Of course, we are blood brothers. And we always
think of where we are coming from. Our parents
never had anything. They were not rich people. If
Paul say today that we must split, I will only look at
him and laugh. Sometimes, I’d swallow my pride to
ensure that peace reigns between two of us.
Have you tried to intervene in those popular split
in the industry?
The best way I can intervene is to keep Peter and
Paul together. Let them watch and learn from us.
But he’s your twin brother?
It goes beyond brotherhood. The Jacksons split. There
was this group that wanted to split some time ago, I
intervened and made them see reasons they should
remain together no matter the odds. Yes, money
might be the cause of the split. But I don’t share
money with Paul. That’s the way we have been
working because we never had anything from the out
set. I’m not saying this because you are interviewing
me, between Paul and I, money has never been a
problem.
Have you had any cause to date the same woman?
Every woman wants to hang out with Peter. This is
because everybody knows that Peter is more outgoing
than Paul. But I doubt if woman can cause a problem
between Paul and myself. Money would have been
the devil that will cause a problem between us than
woman. Any woman that wants to cause between us
is wasting her time.
How did you grow up with Paul?
Our growing up was fantastic. I’m the person who was
always on the stubborn side. Then, I would go out
there and cause some stir, and they would put the
blame on Paul because we are twins.
We were always wearing the same clothes. I and Paul
grew up doing things together. It has remained like
that till date. That’s the way our mum trained. What
Paul does not like today, I will not like either. May be,
this is what has been holding together.
Have you had any cause to date the same woman?
Every woman wants to hang out with Peter. This is
because everybody knows that Peter is more outgoing
than Paul. But I doubt if woman can cause a problem
between Paul and myself. Money would have been
the devil that will cause a problem between us than
woman. Any woman that wants to cause between us
is wasting her time.
Recently it was rumoured that you are into oil and
gas business?
Yes, it’s about to kick off. My music is doing very well
in the market, and investing in other areas will help
to boost my pocket. Which is not a bad idea.
Every successful man wants to continue to invest
in other areas of life. Are thinking in that
direction?
Psquare is not only involved in music alone. We are
into real estate business. We have been doing it for a
long time now.
A business man who is keeping his money in the
bank, what’s he keeping for, without investing it. We
also do banking business, but real estate pays us
more.
Psquare as a product of talent hunt show
We know that Psquare is a product of talent show,
‘Grab the Music’. We also know that when you
emerged the winner, you went home without
anything. But these days, winners of a reality TV
show usually go home with mouthwatering prizes.
So, looking back, how would you comment on the
new trend?
When you win a talent show, what comes first is ego.
You have millions of naira around and a brand new
car at your disposal, the world is in your palm At this
point, you are building yourself to the next level. I
don’t say the winner should not have the car, but he
should not let the car to distract him. At the time, we
won the talent show, we were given a keyboard which
is still in our house till today. The keyboard was just
N80,000,00. In fact, that keyboard, is part of the
instrument in producing most of our albums. The
keyboard has made millions of naira for us. My piece
of advice is that when you win such a competition,
think of where your are coming from and invest your
money wisely.
Every successful man wants to continue to invest
in other areas of life. Are thinking in that
direction?
Psquare is not only involved in music alone. We are
into real estate business. That we have been doing for
long time now. We do a lot of businesses which has
made us to be more focused. A business man who is
keeping his money in the bank, what’s he keeping it
for, without investing. We also do banking business,
but real estate pays us more.
Recently it was rumoured that you are into oil and
gas business?
Yes, it’s about to kick off. My music is doing very well
in the market, and investing in other areas will help
to boost my pocket. Which is not a bad idea.