Whenever you mention Nigerian music, one name will always stand out – P Square . They are a very successful Nigerian R&B group of identical twin brothers – Peter Okoye and Paul Okoye – performing and selling records around the world. The couple is arguably the best known group in almost every African country with a string of successful shows in the US, Canada and Europe. In some cases, they were not without controversy.
The duo, Aboriginal people of Ifite Dunu, Anambra State, Nigeria, born November 18, 1981. They are graduates of St. Murumba Secondary School in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. There they became part of the school drama and music club and made a name for themselves emulating the performances of some of the music world’s most famous names, such as the late Michael Jackson and MC Hammer.
PSquare began their long musical journey as an acapella group with three other singers, namely Michael, Melvin and M Clef. They refer to themselves as MMMPP, with the two Ps standing for Peter and Paul. The group typically performed at events in Jos, entertaining people with Michael Jackson’s breakdancing styles. That was back in 1997.
This isn’t the usual music story that gets dropped out of college and then pursued. Despite their burning desire to break through in the music industry, the duo decided to pursue a degree in Business Administration from the University of Abuja while continuing to pursue music.
Educational interests led to the breakup of her band, also known as the Smooth Criminals, thanks to a song title by her icon Michael Jackson.
The brothers showed they were ready to take over the music industry in Nigeria when in 2001 they won a singing competition organized by Benson & Hedges entitled Grab Da Mic. The award was a fully sponsored record deal with Timbuktu2 Music. They titled their album Last Night (2003). They had settled on the PSquare name after trying other labels like P&P, Double P and Da Pees.
In 2005 PSquare had her breakthrough album Get Squared, Produced by her older brother Jude Okoye under her own music label Square Records. The album that followed the most successful game is from 2007 has sold over 8 million copies worldwide and is thus attracting interest from outside the continent. Since then they have released many more albums including Danger (2009), The Invasion (2011) and Double Trouble (2014).
Wealth (income and earnings)
PSquare is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the Nigerian music industry as well as Africa and the world. Many of their singles received public acclaim and as a result became national and international hits. These include Come Down, Hack My Money, Personal, Beautiful Onyinye, Ejeajo and Bring it on.
PSquare received a nomination in the Most Promising African Group category from the continent’s premier music awards, KORA Last Night , just three months after the release of KORA . They would go on to win the Most Coveted Awards in 2011 and the MTV Base Award the following year. Their musical success brought them more and more nominations and awards at home and abroad. Some of these awards are The Headies, City Mag 9th Awards Show, Nigerian Music Awards and Channel O Music Video Awards.
Considering they are A-list rated entertainers in Nigeria and around the world, it is claimed by PSquare that for every show they perform in Nigeria they make an average of N20 million and double their local fee when they perform outside the country.
As well as making music, the duo had other revenue streams such as an endorsement deal with telecom giant Glo, which reportedly had hundreds of millions of naira and also millions of naira investments in real estate across the country.
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In 2017, the singing twins were named the richest musicians in Nigeria by Forbes and the third richest in Africa with a net worth of $70 million. However, other online sources have posted conflicting amounts such as $128.0 million and $130 million. Some other sources also claim that the singers’ worth is $150 million. The difference in these numbers is not surprising as many people in Nigeria never disclose everything they actually have to avoid revealing how much they are really worth.
It is difficult to assess the value of each one of them.
Wives, Children, Family by P Square
Peter and Paul from the PSquare squad are both married. Peter Okoye married his wife Titilola Loretta Omotayo on January 27, 2015 in a court wedding. A lavish traditional wedding was later held at The Ark in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria on November 17, 2013 and has been dated for seven years. Lola, who is Russian (mother) and Nigerian (father), holds a BA in Theater from the University of San Francisco. She met Peter her baby father husband when she returned to Nigeria after college and somehow fell in love despite being older than Peter. The couple had their two children, Cameron and Aliona, before their marriage.
Paul Okoye is married to Anita Isama, a lawyer. The couple met at the University of Abuja in 2004 and had their first child, Andre, on April 11, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The following year, they had their traditional wedding on March 22nd at the Aztech Arcum Events Center in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. This was followed by a wedding on January 22, 2015 in Ikoyi. Two years later, on July 9, 2017 precisely, the couple welcomed a set of twin boys, a boy and girl named Nathan and Nadia, respectively.
Peter and Paul Okoye have an older brother, Jude, who produced all the songs they recorded in the Square Records stable, and a younger sister named Mary.
P Square House, private jet
P Square has multiple homes in Lekki, Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Atlanta, Georgia and other select locations.
They moved into their popular “Squareville” mansion – a double duplex – on Lola Holloway Street, Omole Estate, Lagos, Nigeria in 2010. The sprawling mansion had a swimming pool, underground basement, six living rooms and ten master bedrooms, all fully furnished and exotically decorated properties.
Due to their split in 2017, they decided to put the mansion up for sale at the price of N320m.
To celebrate their 35th birthday, the twins moved into their new villa in Banana Island, Lagos, Nigeria in November 2016. Banana Island, an artificial island off the coast of Ikoyi, Lagos, is usually referred to as billionaire heaven. It is a place where the most expensive and luxurious villas are located. Houses in this area sell for billions.
In 2013, numerous online publications were published that the duo P-Square bought their private jet. But in an interview with The Nation, Peter Okoye, half of the energetic choreographer and twin singer, denied the reports. He explained that they only had an agreement with a private jet company that every time they travel to a certain location, they would be given a jet to facilitate movement. This seemed to calm the rumors for a while.
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However, in 2017, information emerged that the boys were private jet owners, and started doing the rounds after a tweet from PSquare’s Peter, who implied that they had acquired a private jet. The twins were rumored to be buying a plane worth millions of dollars from an Arab whose name was never mentioned.
Other facts
They once stormed off the stage during a performance in protest
In 2009, the twins stormed the stage as Sean Paul’s curtain call at the Arthur Guinness Show in Lagos after organizers cut their run time. The organizers had also refused 2Face Idibia to join the two in a song together, causing Peter and Paul to throw the microphones into the crowd and walk away. The crowd refused to play Sean Paul until the three were brought back and apologies.
They are signed to Konvict Music of Akon
Renowned Senegalese-American R&B icon Akon was named Konvict Music’s label worldwide in 2011 following her groundbreaking performances and albumPSquare. The duo were signed alongside Nigerians Wizkid and 2Face Idibia.
Everything about the PSquare group was in the past when the brothers decided to part ways in September 2017 due to some irreconcilable differences.