Omah Lay inks publishing deal with Kobalt

The deal comprises a worldwide publishing administration agreement, including global sync and creative services for his catalogue and future songs.

Founded in 2000, Kobalt provides royalty income and activity to artists, allowing them to manage their rights and royalties directly. Omah Lay joins fellow African acts like Burna Boy and Mr Eazi whose emPawa Publishing secured an agreement with Kobalt in 2020.

“Omah is special, and special talents like him require special attention,” the artist’s manager, Valentine Ngaji, said. “Therefore, we can’t think of a better administrator to take care of his masterpieces than Kobalt. They are big fans of his works and we are certain they are in good hands.”

Kobalt creative vice-president Melissa Emert-Hutner said: “From the minute I first heard Omah’s music, I was completely blown away. His hard work, great music and star power have continued to expand, and Dominique, myself and the rest of the team can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and work on being his proactive publishing partner.”

Emert-Hutner’s fellow exec at Kobalt, Dominique Keegan, said: “I am very pleased that Omah has chosen to join Kobalt for his publishing. Omah’s music, lyrics and artistry prove he is one of the strongest voices in the Afro-fusion and global music scenes. We are extremely proud to have him join our family.”

Behind two EPs and more than a billion streams, Omah Lay pulls from percussion-heavy highlife for his style of Afro-fusion. Earlier this year, he released a single titled ‘Attention’ featuring Justin Bieber. His latest single ‘Woman’, released two weeks ago, heralds a new album due later in the year.