Peter Okoye, professionally known as Mr. P, is a singer, dancer, record producer, songwriter, social activist, and multi-instrumentalist. He rose to fame in the year 2000 as a member of the defunct musical duo P. Square with his twin brother Paul. However, since their split, Peter has embarked on a solo career and has been doing well for himself ever since. He has released several albums and collaborated with other top artists in the Nigerian music industry.
His journey to fame as a solo artist has not been easy, but his determination to succeed has seen him rise above the messy split he had with his brothers. From being one of P. Square’s music duo to adopting a new stage name Mr. P and forging ahead a solo career, there are lots of things he has accomplished for which he deserves accolades.
Mr. P, Peter Okoye As Part Of P. Square
Born as a twin on 18th November 1981 in Jos, Plateau State, Peter hails from Ifite Dunu in Anambra State, South Eastern Nigeria. Peter and his twin brother Paul went to St. Mulumba Secondary School Jos, where they joined a local music and dance group. There they discovered their passion for music, they danced and mimicked songs by Michael Jackson, MC Hammer, and Bobby Brown; his biggest inspiration was Michael Jackson.
They formed a music group “Smooth Criminals” and were called different stage names, which include P&P, Double P, Da Pees and eventually they settled for P. Square. After the split of P. Square, Peter took the name Mr. P because P stands for the initials of his name Peter. However as part of P. Square, the duo produced hit tracks like “E No Easy” (2009), “Chop My Money” (2012), “Personally” (2013) etc.
Controversial Breakup Of P. Square
The brothers have gone a long way, and they showed each other unconditional love and affection, they even bought luxurious mansions in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, next to each other. They have had their fair share of creativity and success, from the KORA awards to touring overseas. However, what has a beginning must have an end, the duo had issues like any normal human being would. Some they resolved peacefully and some led to their final split.
The twins had a disagreement and broke up in 2016 over the role of their manager who happens to be their elder brother Jude Engees Okoye, apparently, Peter asked his brother Jude to resign as their manager but his brother Paul did not accept his opinion. They were able to resolve their differences, and they did a couple of songs together. That said, the reconciliation was short-lived as other personal issues arose, which hammered the final nail to the coffin.
Peter Okoye reportedly sent a resignation letter to his brother complaining bitterly. He stated that his brother Paul is generally uncooperative about matters concerning the group. He even went further to accuse his brother of slandering his wife and children on social media. The duo was scheduled to go on tour in the United States, but it was canceled. He even stated that his brothers were a threat to his life and that of his family; he reported that his brothers sent him life-threatening messages concerning him and his family.
Peter said he was afraid for his life that his brother intended to kill him and amass all the family wealth. Paul always shies away from explaining what happened. However, on further investigation, it was discovered that the problem started brewing when Peter married a Yoruba woman (Lola Omotayo-Okoye) who is older than him. The family was not happy with his choice of a wife so they protested the marriage.
After Their Split, Mr. P Pursued His Career As a Solo Artist
There was considerable doubt if Peter would succeed as a solo artist. It was believed that Peter Okoye was more of a dancer, while Paul was the singer. Peter has put in a lot of work and has proven to be relevant and a force to reckon with in the music industry. He gets his inspiration from the early 90s and early 2000s R&B singers. His type of music is dancehall, pop, old school R&B with Afrobeat. His first solo debut was “Cool it Down,” while his second single “My Way” was a massive success reaching number 2 on Billboard’s top 100 and number 1 in the UK top 40.
There are concerns about the future of his solo career, his “Cool it down” track samples lines from American R&B singer Mya’s “Take me there” and “My Way” samples instrumentals used by Mario Winans, which features Diddy and co-produced by the Fugees. While with P. Square they had issues of remaking songs to make hits. Get Squared was similar to Usher’s “Yeah” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, “Temptation” was similar to “Clubbing” by Joe Budden.
Unfortunately, as a solo artist, he has fallen back to the old ways of doing things despite the evolution in the music industry and this has raised concerns. But he has the drive, the ability to pull good dance moves, and a fan base. He needs to work on his creative prowess to push himself beyond borders and unleash his full potential to keep his fan base dancing and nodding to his music.
He has had an illustrious carrier as a solo act and has featured artists like Niniola, Teni, Dj Switch, Tamar Jackson, Patoranking, and Wande Coal. He is currently signed to his own record label P. Classic Records. When asked about his solo journey, he explained that as a group, he had to share music proceeds with his brother and the management but that is no more, as he now shares only with the team members that work for him. He also said he has the freedom to do what kind of music he likes, attend the kind of functions he likes, without second thoughts, and it gives him the freedom to work proficiently.
Mr. P has gained some remarkable endorsement deals as a solo artist including a deal with German sportswear giants Adidas, and KIA Motors Nigeria. He partnered with American Distribution Company Empire as well started his own dance show “Glo Dance with Peter.”
A Look At Mr. P’s Discography
Mr. P has several hot songs that have thrilled his fans both home and abroad, a low down of his songs, and Albums are as follows;
Top Songs
- Wokie Wokie featuring Nyanda of Brick and Lace (2018)
- One More Night featuring Niniola (2019)
Albums
- The Prodigal
- Odo
- Paloma
- I Do
- Boyfriend
- Just Like That
- I Love You
- I No Like Trouble
- Prodigal
- Smooth Criminal
- Blessed
- Lola Diego
- Grow Old
- Eh Lo
- Nobody
- Fly Away
- Follow My Lead
Singles
- Cool it Down (2017)
- For My Head (2017)
- Ebeano (2018)
- Zombie (2018)
- My Way (2018)
- Too Late (2019)
- Karma (2019)
- Follow My Lead (2020)
Peter Okoye Has Toured and Performed in Several Countries
In 2018, Mr. P toured the United States, Europe, and Canada and it was a life-changing experience for him. The track Wokie Wokie with Nyanda of Brick and Lace was a massive hit in America and Jamaica as well. In 2019, he performed at DJ Xclusive’s All White Party, Chivas Experience Show, and at the Xchange Concert. Mr. P is just getting warmed up after the release of his brand new album The Prodigal, we expect more exciting content and fascinating dance moves.