Cynthia Morgan's compelling Story
On Saturday, May 23, 2020, Nigerian dance hall singer, Cynthia Morgan now known as Madrina made her comeback after been away from the music scene for a while, her comeback sparked a lot of controversies as she revealed why she left her former record label on an Instagram live video chat with Sandra Ogbebor ex miss globe Nigeria, in the chat the singer accused her former record label Northside Entertainment boss, Jude Okoye the elder brother of Paul and Peter Okoye the defunct music group P-square, for destroying her music career, she told Sandra that she signed a contract with Jude Okoye, which gives him the power to restrict her from using her stage name Cynthia Morgan which is also her birth name, that's why she changed her name to Madrina after she left the Northside.
She also accused Jude of snatching her youtube Vevo channel, Royalties and Instagram account, which made her so depressed thereafter took ill and had to relocate to Benin city her home town to cut down the cost of living.
After listening to her compelling story, Sandra her biggest sympathizer took it upon herself to set up a campaign which she tagged "bring back Cynthia Morgan" and a 'GoFundMe' fundraising campaign for her, at the time of writing this article the campaign had already raised $1,547 dollars.
Mister May D, Peter Okoye, Tacha, Toke Makinwa, OAP Dotun and Davido joining the controversy.
Mister May D, a former member of the Northside entertainment jumped into the controversy supporting Cynthia's claim, he also accused his former label Northside of ill-treatment, he said,
" When I speak, people think I'm ungrateful, but the truth will always come out one way or the other last last cuz I'm a covenant child!... I was staying in their boys squatters with their driver and their cook just one room all of us shared a toilet and I had big songs and also the other side of their twin duplex was empty! Now! I slept on brand new television carton used my shirt as cover cloth."
Peter Okoye the brother of Paul and Jude also took sides with Cynthia Morgan, supporting her claim, he tweeted,
"My dear C Morgan, The decision i made 3yrs ago was never about the firm, money or power! It was for my FREEDOM! Sad you rejected the contract i gave u. Just because they made you see me like the bad egg. I pray you understand that God has a purpose for everything. Never give up, And some people thought i was stupid when I made the right decision. My dear C Morgan! it’s never too late to be what you might have been. God will surely see you through and carry you through the storm. Keep believing."
Tacha big brother Naija ex-housemate also took to her twitter page to pledge her support to the comeback dance hall singer, in her tweets Tacha said,
"Cynthia Morgan i BELIEVE in YOU
(seriously who doesn’t love you?),
and I promise to give my support by promoting your MUSIC or New PROJECT!! when you’re back... She added, "Firstly let me start off by saying that I’m currently in a state of SULLEN Few years ago CYNTHIA MORGAN was UNSTOPPABLE her ART was UNIQUE Personally I first fell in love with “Don’t Break My Heart” back then in school, my 200lvl to be more precise."
Toke Makinwa also jumped in, trying to advise both parties she said,
"There has to be more ways to settle this Talent/record label/management relationships, nobody wins when there is no resolve, monies are still owed, talent is still wasting, there is a bigger picture that pride/ego rubs everybody of when we refuse to see the big picture. If Talent wants to leave or no longer serves purpose to a label, remove feelings and look at ways that they can go, become bigger and pay your debt"... She also said, "It’s easier said than done, I may not have all the answers, it is a sad situation for both parties, hoping they both can work something out. I’m such a huge fan of Cynthia Morgan and I can’t deny the genius that Jude is too. We just want music."
OAP Dotun also jumped into the dispute taking Cynthia Morgan side he said,
"On the real I don’t understand why we all don’t see how wrong these things can turn out. Cynthia Morgan was a promising artiste. This girl was literally on fire. You took her name, took her growth. Why can’t you renegotiate? This has moved from just business to sheer wickedness."
In another tweet, he said,
"I think reviewing a contract just makes more sense. You can hold and own her stake and let her run free. It all to your advantage. Not defending any artiste cos they can be very selfish too but mehn in this case, e don do... haba! Listen! @originalmadrina I am sorry if we were not there as you expected but if you still have that fire!... let us do it again. I am a fan and I think we know what you can do... go to that hard drive and let us do this again... fia cyan cool!."
Davido also stepped into the controversy, offering a helping hand to Cynthia Morgan he tweeted.
"Cynthia Morgan call me...Tell Cynthia I got an anthem for her... I’ll record my verse now." Putting aside their past misunderstanding, Cynthia Morgan's fans praised him for being the bigger one, while others insulted him and accused him of clout chasing.
Jude Okoye debunking Cynthia Morgan's Allegations.
Jude Okoye using the same medium as Cynthia, went on an instalive chat with Instagram blogger Tunde Ednut to reply all of Cynthia's allegations, in the live chat Jude started up angrily, saying Cynthia is a clout chaser, that the only reason he is breaking his silence is because of his younger brother involvement. The music executive in his defence said he never took Cynthia's name or restricted her from using It, he argues that no law in the world can stop anyone from using their birth name, that such a clause is not included in their contract, he also narrated how Cynthia wanted her name changed from Cynthia Morgan to Madrina while she was still signed to his label, he said he advised her not to, that she can still maintain her name and use the new one as her aka Just like Davido OBO. He also debunked the allegation of snatching her Instagram account from her, he said she was still using her IG two years after she departed from his label. He accused her of grossed misconduct and going behind his back to perform on shows. He said, Even when the label noticed, they warned her against it but her ego didn't allow her to take to corrections, however, Jude admitted that he took her YouTube Vevo channel to recover the 40 million nairas he invested in her career, he also claimed he gave her a white range rover, paid her house rent and sent cash to her mother in Benin to buy a plot of land as requested by her. He explained why his younger brother Peter Okoye hates him and why they broke up as a group, he said Peter wanted to cut him out as the manager of their group because cutting out family member as manager was the trend back then, usher fired his mum as his manager Peter wanted the same thing with Jude but Paul said no, that's why Peter hates him and will choose to defend an outsider instead of him. He also went further to defend their family who was also accused by mister May D, he said May D requested for incentives and a car like paul's Mercedes Benz as a condition to be met before signing, he said no to Mr May D and let him go, he asked if he did wrong?
Cynthia Morgan's former manager Joy Tongo stepping in with her own truth.
Prior to Jude breaking his silence, Joy Tongo the former friend and manager of Cynthia Morgan came out cautioning Cynthia Morgan to stop misleading people and tell the truth, she said,
"Tell people the truth or Else we will tell them". Cynthia Morgan ignored her, so she came out to spill everything, In a statement on her Instagram account she wrote:
"In December of 2011, after persistent requests from her associates, I signed Cynthia Morgan to my record label, Jton
Records. In the early stages of her signing, I personally shot a freestyle and viral video for the artist titled One Blood and Kuchi Kuchi respectively. In addition, there were several tracks which were recorded and produced but never released during that timeframe. In the summer of 2013, I successfully secured a
US work permit visa for Cynthia Morgan and flew her down to New York with me in pursuit of an independent record deal that
was unsuccessful due to conflicts with the contract that was presented to us. Determined to secure a bigger platform for the artist, I then flew her down to Atlanta a few months later for a
formal meeting with Jude Okoye. The intent was to introduce Cynthia Morgan to him with the hope that he would be impressed with her sound and sign her to his Northside label. Unfortunately, he was reluctant to sign any artist at that time so
a deal could not be established. We both returned to Nigeria and I immediately began working on the video production of her track, Kuchi Kuchi. Upon completion of the video, I sent the audio to Jude hopeful that he would have a change of heart. The strategy eventually worked and after a year of persistent negotiations; Jude agreed to sign her to Northside, and I remained in the capacity of management only. The 360 contract
and terms for it was drafted by me and not Jude Okoye. After finalizing the draft, it was reviewed and approved by Cynthia Morgan, then sent to Jude via email. Jude simply put the contract on his letterhead and signed it. Nothing in that contract stated that Jude Okoye or Northside Music Ltd. would have ownership to her legal name, royalties, or social media handles."
She also said "Cynthia Morgan has also made frivolous claims in an interview that her image and brand were undesirable and forced upon her by management and the record label. At no point did Cynthia ever express discomfort with her styling or branding. There was never a given time where she was forced, or demands were made by the label and management to portray her unfavorably. We played our role and hired image consultants to plan and structure how we could creatively portray her authentically as an artist. We determined that her branding would mirror her personality - a sexy tomboy. Once that image was combined with her music, it gave birth to a massive brand - "The Cynthia Morgan Brand." She was very comfortable and as she became more commercial, we tweaked her image even further. When we initially presented Cynthia Morgan to the world up until the Don't Break my Heart video, which was her first video under Northside Music, people had heard her songs, but could not place a face to the artist. We knew something was missing, which was when I came up with the concept of red hair to really make her stand out. The red hair was a huge success and complimented her music and sound. The I'm Taken video introduced her fans and the world to a unique and attractive red headed dancehall rapper. Though she initially disliked the red hair, she later adjusted to it when she witnessed how recognizable it made her. The signature style further established her brand and Cynthia took it further by deciding to add a nose ring on her own. Cynthia Morgan has also claimed that her songs were never promoted." She argues that Promotion does not only require or consist of
payola. She said " Promotion entails presenting your music directly to influential OAPs, DJs, Promoters, TV, and radio executives. I and Jude's contacts from years in the business enabled us to submit her songs to everyone. Though one can pay to get their music played, it still does not guarantee that the music or video will get the major push it deserves. The industry is not an easy one or particularly favorable to female artists. We fought tirelessly just to get Cynthia Morgan's music on rotation. It was not simply because her music was good; it took a lot of strategizing and negotiating for her music to become mainstream."
She said, "I'm Taken was when we finally broke the ice and successfully secured consistent airplay on radio and TV. Cynthia Morgan never paid any form of house rent while working with Jton. She stayed at my residence for over 3
years until the latter part of 2015 when Jude Okoye paid for her to secure her own apartment. As her popularity increased after the commercial success of l'm Taken and German Juice, Jude
Okoye presented her with a Range Rover and money to purchase land for her mother in Benin upon Cynthia's request. I have in my possession records and details of every expense spent on
Cynthia Morgan by Jude Okoye until my departure from her in June of 2016. These expenses include but are not limited to music video shoots, upkeep allowances, promotional payments,
a car, rent payments and other expenses from the years 2013 up until 2016. I'm Taken was the breakthrough record for Cynthia Morgan that changed everything. With the success of I'm Taken and German Juice, Cynthia Morgan got bigger than her team (label and management,) and out of control. She began performing on countless shows outside of me and Jude Okoye's awareness or approval. We clashed frequently because she wanted to depart from Northside and I repeatedly advised her against it. She also tried to convince me to prepare for her exit from the label because she wanted to form her own imprint emphatically told her that I could not be a party to such an arrangement especially after going over and beyond to getting her signed to Northside Music Ltd. In June of 2016, I parted ways with Cynthia Morgan after realizing that she was no longer manageable. Less than a year later, Cynthia also parted ways with Jude Okoye and released herself from her contract before it ended without penalty or any legal proceedings from Northside. To this day, she maintains the rights to her legal/stage name, brand, and everything that we created for her. After departing from Jude Okoye in 2017, she released two songs under her imprint label without any resistance from him. Neither Jude nor I have ever demanded or even contacted her for the outstanding balance owed to the label. I have never uttered a word about the slander she has made online and on-air about my credibility as a professional. After all these years, Cynthia Morgan is persistent in her efforts to tarnish our names just to seek sympathy from her fans and the world without ever taking any accountability for her actions. We do not wish ill against her. but rather that she should be honest when relaying her accounts of all that was done for her during her rise to fame. The fabrications and accusations will no longer be tolerated or met with silence and indifference." She concluded
After hearing all parties our team of reporters decided to carry out an investigation, here is what we found out. Cynthia Morgan signed a four years recording contract with Northside label. She left Northside before her contract ended and started her own label, with her new name Madrina, this was two years ago, in that period she dropped a new single and video titled, " billion-dollar woman' which didn't do too well, it had only 72,000 views on youtube at the time of writing this article.
Cynthia Morgan hated the wild persona she was portrayed as she didn't want to take instructions from anyone anymore she wanted to do her own thing, she wanted to earn the freedom to create her own style, her own music, the two singles she released under her imprint didn't do well, she went off the radar because she was depressed and broke but a year ago in an interview with channels tv entertainment, she said that her unique identity as a human and as an entertainer gave her the confidence to withdraw from the limelight.
Do we love Cynthia Morgan? Yes, we Do, we want more of her music too. Welcome back dance hall Queen.
