Nigerian singer Yemi Alade has publicly accused popular Lagos-based radio stations, Cool FM Nigeria and CloudAfrica FM, of blacklisting her music after she failed to attend one of their events. In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), the 35-year-old Afropop star detailed how the fallout began and her frustration with the stations’ actions.
According to Yemi, Cool FM had invited her to perform at their December 2023 event, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she was unable to attend. Despite reaching out to apologize in January, she claimed her attempts at reconciliation were ignored. She later discovered that her absence had been held against her by the stations’ management, specifically naming Mr. Serge Noujaim and Mr. Joseph Adamu as the individuals responsible for the alleged embargo.
In her post, Yemi expressed disappointment, stating:
“Mr. Serge and Mr. Joseph, this life is not hard like that. WE SEE YOU… I SEE YOU @cloutafrica @CoolFMNigeria. This world is a small village. My God will fight for me… Una dey form gatekeepers in 2024.”
The singer revealed that her entire music catalogue had been removed from the stations’ playlists, barring all her tracks—both old and new—from being played.
She further wrote:
“Since December 2023, I personally reached out in January. You are still refusing to play my music and giving my team a hard time. You’re not gatekeepers, and you are not God, Mr. Serge Noujaim and Mr. Joseph Adamu.”
Yemi also criticized the stations’ approach, accusing them of lacking basic decency in resolving the issue. She called their actions a deliberate attempt to sabotage her career.
“The common decency to reach out and clear up any misunderstanding caused by sheer carelessness on your part for a whole year, and your next move is to place an embargo on my songs? Remove my whole catalogue?”
As of now, Cool FM Nigeria and CloudAfrica FM have not issued any official response to Yemi Alade’s claims.
