Entertainment
My Friends Disappeared When I Needed Them – Terry Apala
Terry Alexandar Ejeh, a Nigerian afrobeat and Apala hip-hop artist, better known as Terry Apala, disclosed his experience of being abandoned by his friends and colleagues at the initial indication of trouble.
In a recent interview with Chude Jideonwo, prominent media personality, Terry Apala revealed the journey of discovering his distinctive sound, building the confidence to showcase it, navigating a legal battle with his record label, and grappling with the suffocating silence of depression.
He said “I am from Isoko in Delta state. And because I wasn’t a Yoruba person, my friends in Mushin use to discourage me that my music wasn’t going to work.
“They were comparing me to Haruna Ishola and other singers in the Apala genre, saying that if they were talented and they are still where they are, how do I want to go about it. I started to break down how the music is going to work by adding up English and Pidgin to my sound. I try my best to split it so that people could understand it.
Terry Apala opened up about the passing of his father, who, after nearly 17 years of absence, returned and passed away in his house.
He said “My dad was not there. He was just somewhere, living his life. I left my dad in 1990, and the day I saw him was the day he was dying. He came all the way from Apapa to our house in Mushin, and he was strong.
“He asked for my mom, and I said she had gone out. I called my mom and said ‘Daddy is at home’. She was like ‘what did your father come to do?’ and I was like, ‘Daddy is at home, that’s what I have to tell you.’ She said, ‘He should take his leave please’. I told him ‘Mummy said you should be going.’
“He said, ‘no, I will wait till she comes back’. So, because my other siblings heard he was around, they couldn’t come home that night. So, me and our lastborn, Obi, slept together. He slept on the bed with my junior brother. I think he was throwing up when I woke up. As I woke up, I saw that he was throwing up. He laid his head on my junior brother. That was really touching, even though I didn’t really feel bad because this man was not there, but you know, you will have to pity someone that is about to die.
“So that was the day I saw my dad last. From my house to the mortuary.”
Award-winning Nigerian singer and activist, Yemi Alade has accused Cool FM Nigeria and Clout Africa of blacklisting her music after she failed to perform at an event organized by the platforms in December 2023.
The singer, in a series of tweets on Thursday night, alleged that her music has been removed from the stations’ playlists for nearly a year, despite her efforts to resolve the misunderstanding.
Alade explained that she was invited by Cool FM to perform at their December event but couldn’t attend.
According to her, she apologized for her absence in January 2024 but faced a cold reception from the management.
She claims this eventually led to her entire music catalogue being banned from the station’s playlists.
“Mr Serge and Mr Joseph, this life is not hard like that. WE SEE YOU… I SEE YOU @cloutafrica @CoolFMNigeria. This world is a small village. My God will fight for me… Una dey form gatekeepers in 2024,” she tweeted, referring to Cool FM and Clout Africa executives Serge Noujaim and Joseph Adamu.
Alade expressed shock at what she described as a deliberate attempt to sabotage her career by refusing to play her songs. She accused the station of barring both her old and new music from the airwaves.
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“Since December 2023. I personally reached out in January. You are still refusing to play my music and giving my team a hard time. You’re not gatekeepers, and you are not God, Mr Serge Noujaim and Mr Joseph Adamu,” she wrote.
She further criticized the lack of communication from the management regarding the issue.
“The common decency to reach out and clear out any misunderstanding borne out of sheer carelessness on your path for a whole year, and your next move is to place an embargo on my songs? Remove my whole catalogue,” she added.
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has congratulated his nephew and global music icon, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido on the occasion of his birthday, describing him as a superstar Osun State is proud of.
This was revealed in a statement by his Spokesperson Olawale Rasheed, where he cited Gov Aeleke as pointing to Davido’s consistency, energy and passion yielding the result he has recorded not only in his music career but also in his life as a person.
Gov Adeleke, stated Rasheed, prayed for progress, more success and achievement for Davido, while commending his continuous outreach to the orphanages and less privileged, which he described as ‘a noble act every blessed hand in Nigeria must emulate’.
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He said, ” I want to rejoice with my nephew, David Adeleke, Davido, on the occasion of his 32nd birthday, I am very happy we are all alive to witness it.
“Davido is a global super star that Osun State is very proud of. The consistency, energy and passion he has inserted into building his music career is evident in the result he has recorded not only in his career but also in his life as a person.
“I pray for him for progress, more success and achievement in long life, prosperity, sound health and mind.
“I equally want to commend his continuous outreach to the orphanages and less privileged. I must say that this is a noble act every blessed hand in Nigeria must emulate.
“Once again, Happy Birthday to Davido”.
Afrobeats sensation Wizkid has unveiled his highly anticipated sixth studio album, Morayo, released today (Nov. 22) via Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records.
The album, whose title translates to “I see joy” in Yoruba, is an emotional tribute to his late mother, Juliana Morayo Balogun, who passed away in August 2023.
“Best album I ever made!! Now listen! It’s only up from here!” the Grammy-winning artist tweeted in July, building anticipation for the 16-track project.
Morayo features an impressive lineup of collaborations, including Brent Faiyaz on “Piece of My Heart,” Asake on “Bad Girl,” Tiakola on “Après Minuit,” Jazmine Sullivan on “Bad For You,” and Anaïs on “Slow.” The album also includes previously released singles like “Piece of My Heart,” which reached No. 4 on the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart and No. 7 on World Digital Song Sales, and “Kese (Dance).”
Notably, Wizkid and Asake’s collaboration on “MMS” has earned a Grammy nomination for Best African Music Performance in 2025, cementing their impact on the global music stage.
READ MORE: Wizkid Unveils Morayo Album Tracklist Featuring Asake
The tracklist for Morayo includes:
1. Troubled Mind
2. Karamo
3. Kese (Dance)
4. Bad Girl (feat. Asake)
5. Time
6. Piece of My Heart (feat. Brent Faiyaz)
7. Break Me Down
8. Bend
9. A Million Blessing
10. Après Minuit (feat. Tiakola)
11. Bad For You (feat. Jazmine Sullivan)
12. Soji
13. Don’t Care
14. Slow (feat. Anaïs)
15. Lose
16. Pray
This marks Wizkid’s first album in three years, following More Love, Less Ego, which reached No. 2 on the World Albums chart and No. 59 on the Billboard 200. His previous projects, including the Grammy-nominated Made in Lagos (Deluxe), have solidified his place as a global music icon.
Fans can stream Morayo now and experience the evolution of Wizkid’s sound, deeply rooted in love, loss, and celebration.
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