Nigerian Fuji music legend Pasuma has opened up on the ongoing challenges faced by gospel singer Busola Oke, offering insight into the realities of the Nigerian music industry.
In a recent interview, Pasuma explained that success in music is often a mix of talent, timing, and grace. He noted that sometimes a song may become a hit, but sales of physical CDs don’t meet expectations, leaving artists to earn primarily from live shows.
Reflecting on Busola’s hit song Eleyele, Pasuma said:
“The time Busola sang Eleyele has passed because people have moved on from that kind of music. Anyone who was singing then and is still singing now is just by the grace of God. Things have changed.”
He added that different music genres have different revenue structures, saying that juju and Fuji songs operate under separate “sharing formulas.”
Pasuma described Busola as a personal friend and expressed sadness after watching her emotional video where she revealed her struggles.
“I felt so bad for her when I watched the video of her crying. It shouldn’t have been Busola. A musician can sing one song and become a millionaire for life, whereas another can sing one song, and people will be expecting him to sing another. It is not her fault that she is in the situation she is now.”
Busola recently made headlines after opening up about her difficulties sustaining a career in gospel music. She revealed in a live interview with Biola Bayo that she was lonely, depressed, and struggling financially. She explained that she currently has no car, owes several people, and finds it hard to pay her hotel bills, which cost ₦55,000 per day.
Her struggles are compounded by past experiences in the music industry. In 2023, she accused her former colleague, Gbenga Adewusi, of depriving her of earnings after she rejected his sexual advances. She alleged that this left her financially broke and forced her to sell her assets to survive.
Responding to these allegations, Gbenga claimed that he had helped her career without any wrongdoing and accused her of trying to exploit the late Mohbad’s death to revive her career.
