They’ve worked and warmed their ways up into the hearts of fans
worldwide; the pop duo P Square are doing great and winning more hearts.
P Square was in Malawi recently, and the reception was awesome, as
they thrilled Malawians with their electrifying stage display.
It was rumoured sometimes ago that P Square’s ‘Alingo’ video was
banned, but Peter says the ban was a good promotion for the song.
“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.”
“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 had no choice
than to give our fans a video,” Peter said.
“When the song started picking up, we thought it is important to give
our fans something they have never gotten from P Square 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 energy 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.”
Peter also spoke about P Square’s relationship with Akon, on whose
Konvict Music they’re also signed, saying they’ve known him for many
years.
“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.”
There was a time rumours of P Square buying a private jet went viral.
As much as fans were happy for them saying they deserve it, Peter says P
Square does not own a private jet.
“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 the brand is getting bigger and P Square is getting more shows, so it’s not a weird idea to get a private jet.
“To be honest with you, the way things are going, we are planning to
buy one,” Peter says. 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.”
P Square is proud of the success achieved so far, and think they’ve done virtually everything any singer should do.
“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.”
Peter thinks P Square’s largest market in Africa is the East.
“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.”
But Peter says people’s perception about P Square is wrong; Peter and Paul are not arrogant.
“I think Psquare is very intimidating and we are not arrogant. When
you saw me today, did I look arrogant?, Peter asked Njoku who
interviewed him. “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 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.”
Many promising and somewhat great musical groups have split in the
past, but P Square have something going for them; they are brothers;
twin brothers. When asked what can make P Square split, Peter had this
to say;
“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.
Peter noted that being together goes beyond brotherhood…but money
which is the root cause of most split has never been a problem between
him and Paul.
“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
outset. I’m not saying this because you are interviewing me, between
Paul and I, money has never been a problem.
Peter was quick to add that no woman can split Peter and Paul. “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.
![A TRIBUTE POEM TO CHINUA ACHEBE
I will cloy me with egregious wine,
if he re-course to rest, I won't dine;
his demise lives me open to reproach;
death that made me felt like cockroach,
a thief with trait that reeks;
City’s reeled of its re-entry this weeks.
Embrace me, O vice of drunkenness;
on the day of Achebe's death,
I will clothe me with tears which a death of no importance chiselled in me;
to learn of the mystery ,
I have grown much older than fledgling;
not any more regarded as stripling.
I’m not destitute of sheer senses;
the blind could see it without lenses.
by his death, I strut on the stage with independent feet;
and keep up appearances without great feat;
I could not guide my faculties with orison;
with earnest haste I crave for benison.
Drunk though as I am, I keep reckoning him;
few among many speak ill of him;
He made learning a house of stone;
it pinnacle seemed like cone;
a place where I learn new tricks;
palace of castle built with bricks,
where I resort for joy
Alas, why this extinction?
The gift endowed us with is the envy of our enemy.
The man who sure knew the manner of the day, is gone,
the laureate who best knew the way to the happy ending,
possessed the strength of youth in the morning,
held the sapience of age as an octogenarian.
Good bye the great man of the East
~~~~~~~
Tribute by Patrick Amaefule via @[221857711226609:274:SouthEastNigeria.com]](https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/s480x480/269373_447720195307025_1776791331_n.jpg)
