Nigerian singer Awosika Olayemi Josiah, popularly known as Fido, has publicly accused his former record label, Inner Circle Entertainment, of taking all his ‘advance’ from him.
The ‘Joy Is Coming’ singer made the allegation while speaking during a radio interview. He claimed that out of a $20,000 advance, he received only about ₦1.5 million, with the label holding on to about 95 per cent of the money.
According to Fido, the disputed advance payment, which was meant for his smash hit single ‘Awolowo’ has slowed down his career progress in the music industry.
Although he acknowledged that efforts are ongoing to address the issue, he noted that the situation is limiting his opportunities in the music business.
He said, “I was transparent with you guys. Even when I was with you guys, you took all my advance from me. The advance that I was given for Awolowo you guys took 70% from it.
“What am I even saying, they took 95%. They just gave me only like N1.5 million out of $20,000. This is the first time I’m saying this and it’s true, there’s facts to all these things.
“We’re working on the situation now, and what stopped whatever progress I was supposed to make was because of these issues I was having. People never knew that that was what I was facing.”
Fido, who gained mainstream attention after the release of Awolowo in August 2024, started his professional journey under Inner Circle Entertainment before leaving to become an independent artist.
Fido’s style is a blend of distinctive Afrofusion sound, soulful traditionality of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and the modern edge of stars like Olamide and Kizz Daniel, as well as contemporary beats from trap, R&B, and dancehall.
