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Real Name:
Peter & Paul Okoye

Music Genre:
Afropop
R&B
Reggae
Reggaeton

Record Label:
Square Records

Date of birth:
18-11-1981

Age:
43

Nationality:
NIGERIA



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P Square

  • Background
  • Break
  • Did you know?

The story of P-Square began in St. Murumba College, a small Catholic school in Jos, Nigeria. Identical twins Peter and Paul joined their school music and drama club where they began singing, dancing, and miming songs by MC Hammer, Bobby Brown and Michael Jackson.

Paul and Peter Okoye, better known as P Square, have a lifestyle the stuff of dreams. The twin brothers are unlikely to look back and regret their decision to abandon football for music. At home and abroad, P Square is a hit. In 2010, the group won the Best African Act award at the KORA All African Music Awards held in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso.

 

No doubt, P Square is the most successful African act, and this is evident with the massive success of their numerous concerts in the continent. Over the years, the three time MTV award winning group has made an enviable impact in Africa, doing sold out concerts. And till date, the demand is still waxing stronger.

 

Clinching numerous awards both from the local and international scenes is one of P Square’s rewards of hard work, resilience and sheer dedication as entertainers. They have even lost count of their awards.

 

Between June and July, 2010, P Square embarked on a successful tour of seven cities in the United States of America, and due to popular demand, they are lined up for more soon.

 

P Square’s grass to grace story began in St. Murumba College, Jos, where they joined a music and drama club. They began singing, dancing and miming songs by MC Hammer, Bobby Brown and Michael Jackson.

 

They later formed an acapella quartet called MMPP. Drawing inspiration from their idol, the late Michael Jackson, they started break dancing, and formed a group called Smooth Criminals in 1997.

 

Their artistic talent and enchanting dance routine soon made them household names in Jos, where they perform at school functions and other occasions.

 

In 1999, Peter and Paul returned to music school to develop their skills on keyboard, bass and rhythm guitar. Their works in those days included soundtracks for a number of films like Tobi, Moment of Bitterness and Evas River.    

 

The same year, they applied to the University of Abuja to study Business Administration. However, the Smooth Criminals disbanded when its members left for various institutions. Subsequently, Paul and Peter formed their own group, initially called Double P, P&P and Da Pees, before finally settling for P Square.

 

In 2001, P Square won the Grab Da Mic competition, which earned them sponsorship of their debut album by Benson & Hedges, the sponsor of the talent hunt programme. Their album first was Last Night, and barely three months after it was released from the stable of Timbuk2 music label in 2002, had a KORA award nomination in the Most Promising African Group category.

 

The breakthrough they needed came in 2005, with the release of their second album, Get Squared.  The album had mega hits like Story, Get Squared, Busy Body, Temptation, Omoge Mi and E Don Happen. The album scooped all the major awards on the domestic scene.

 

In November 2007, their third album, Game Over, confirmed them as masters of their game. It contained monster cuts like Do Me, No One Like You, Roll It and Ifunanya to mention a few.

 

Despite this spectacular success, they show no signs of let-up, scoring another set of hugely successful cuts on their fourth album, Danger. With songs like E No Easy, Possibility, I Love U, Gimme Dat, Troway and Break It, they blew minds.

 

They have been so successful that even the President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Campaore, whose country hosted the 2010 KORA Awards, ordered that they should be flown in with a private jet from London after their concert. P Square have invaded many homes, hearts and phones with their hit songs, which have become anthems on the lips of so many people and ring tones on thousands of phones.  

 

Apparently as a result of P Square’s spectacular exploits in Africa, America and Asia, the biggest telecommunication company in Africa, Globacom, gave them a record-breaking ambassadorial deal. However, the contract, which runs into several millions of naira, did not come as a surprise to the fans of P Square who strongly believed that the development was long overdue.  

 

On Saturday, 30 July, 2011, Peter and Paul, who are unarguably the most popular twins in Africa, hosted what was described as the ‘mother of all concerts’ in the history of Nigeria. Dubbed The Invasion, the sold-out concert which was held at the prestigious Expo Hall, Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, was staged to herald the release of their smoking-hot fifth album, Invasion, which was released the same month.

 

Indeed, the album has invaded the hearts of music lovers and pundits in the Diaspora. With monster hits like Beautiful Onyinye, Chop My Money, She Is Hot, Asamkpokoto and Do As I Do among others, Invasion, which is jointly marketed by the biggest music marketers in Nigeria (T-Joe, Abhu Ventures and Obaino Music), was reported to have sold over a million copies within the first four days of its release, beating their first record of a million sales within six days with the Game Over album.

Later in August 2012, P Square released a single titled “Alingo”, it became a smashing hit that took the whole of Africa by storm. The video shot and codirected by their elder brother Jude “Engees” Okoye and Clarence Peters of Capital hill Production was rated as the best video that year. Their latest smash hit again “Personally” released mid June 2013. The video is a tribute to late Michael Jackson who inspired their musical career till date. The video and song was such a hit that it got the attention of  Jermaine Jackson, late Michael Jackson’s brother who commended the stars for doing such a tremendous job and hoped to meet with them.

 

On September 14, 2014 P-Square released their 7th studio album titled Double Trouble.

P-Square's big break came in late 2003 with their release of "Senorita" and later their first album "Last Nite". But P-Squares real break came after the release of their album "Get Squared" which sold thousands.

Did you know P-Square live at Omole and Magodo?

Did you know P-Square bought two house in Atlanta, GA in 2014?

Did you know P-Square and May D went to the same school growing up?

Discography

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    Last Nite

    Released in 2003

    Produced by Timbuk2 Music

    BUY

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    Get Squared

    Released in 2005

    Produced by Square Records

    BUY

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    Game Over

    Released in 2007

    Produced by Square Records

    BUY

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    Danger

    Released in 2009

    Produced by Square Records

    BUY

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    The Invasion

    Released in 2011

    Produced by Square Records

    BUY

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    Greatest Hits

    Released in 2013

    Produced by Square Records

    BUY

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    Double Trouble

    Released in 2014

    Produced by Square Records

    BUY

References

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-Square


Singles

  • 2005
    Title Album
    Bizzy Body Get Squared

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  • 2008
    Title Album
    Ifunanya Game Over

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  • 2009
    Title Album
    E No Easy Danger

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  • 2012
    Title Album
    Chop My Money The Invasion

    Listen

  • 2012
    Title Album
    Beautiful Onyinye ft Rick Ross The Invasion

    Listen