Behind every successful man, they say, is a woman. Behind every successful artiste, I would say, is the crew, the ‘Managerial crew’. Jude ‘Engees’ Okoye manages PSquare, the highest selling musical group in Nigeria, that ever sold a million copies within six days of release of the ‘Game over’ album. He speaks on what it is really like to manage a successful group.
What did you have against shooting your videos in Nigeria?
We don’t have anything against shooting videos in Nigeria; the first thing is that we don’t have the equipments. When it comes to camera, it is obvious when you watch the our videos; you will notice there is none like it. We definitely want to meet the international standards. And since we are hoping on getting to the Grammy, I think we need to meet up to such standards.
Recently, people started complaining that we are going away to South Africa to shoot videos, so we decided to bring the equipments and the crew from South Africa down to Nigeria to shoot some videos.
The PSquare you are managing, they are your brothers, right?
Yes!
Don’t you think of managing other groups aside PSquare?
In managing other groups, first of all, you have to think about what management is. What others are doing as management is just strictly business, just controlling the business aspect of the artistes. But, right now what I am doing with PSquare is that I am controlling the overall aspect of PSquare. You have to know how they dress; you have to know how they go out, because they are now symbols that people are looking at. If I am managing others, like other managements are doing, you can never see anything on paper, or on the news, any scandal that has to do with PSquare. So, I am managing the whole aspects. Also, about managing other artistes, any body that is not my brother that I want to manage, will that person allow me to manage his personal affair as regards, if he wants to go to the club and I say don’t go? He will not agree. There are many things that contradict that aspect.
Do you plan of getting PSquare signed internationally?
That is the highest, if I am not mistaken, any artiste in the world can get. So, right now I don’t know, like I said, really we are going to leave the particular status we are in now.
Good luck. We are looking forward to your next album. Thank you.
Thank you. You are welcome.
