Joromi: Victor Uwaifo accuses Simi of piracy

The younger musician's ‘Joromi’, which was released ahead of her sophomore album Simisola, was well-received and takes its title from Uwaifo’s classic of the same title. It might have taken more than that title as Uwaifo deems the release of the latter song piracy.

“They didn’t contact me before doing a remix of Joromi,” he said in an interview, also referring to a Jaywon revision of Simi’s song, “but I’m like a father to them so I can’t begin to drag them to court. So let them make a living out of it, but at the same time it’s piracy.”

Uwaifo’s original was released in 1969 and is one of his signature tunes. As the critic IfeOluwa Nihinlola put it in a review of Simi’s ‘Joromi’, “The word Joromi will forever be tied to Sir Victor Uwaifo.”

The song made Uwaifo owner of the first gold record in African history. Several decades later it has yet to lose its magic even by association as Simi’s ‘Joromi’ is one of the singer's most popular songs since the start of her career.

“I’ve heard it too many times on different occasions," said Uwaifo. "It shows the quality of the music that has come a long way. As far as I’m concerned I’ve lived five lives (from one generation to the other), so if they want to appreciate and still appreciate me, it shows the quality of the music.”

Looking at the bright side, Uwaifo said, “It’s one thing to be an artist and it’s another thing to stay on the scene for a long time. So I will not discourage artistes trying to remix or do another rendition of 'Joromi', but rather encourage them to give credit to the composer if they do.”