(Qing Madi. Photo Credit: Channels Tv)
Afrobeats rising star Qing Madi has levelled serious allegations against her former record label boss, Joy Tongo, the Chief Executive Officer of JTon Music, accusing her of forging her signature and misappropriating funds belonging to her.
The singer, known for her hit track “American Love,” made these claims while alleging that her former label is now actively working to derail her career following the removal of several songs from her newly released album “Barely Legal” from streaming platforms, citing an alleged breach of contract.
During a recent TikTok livestream, Qing Madi claimed that her former label has been resorting to underhanded tactics to sabotage her, particularly after she successfully defended herself against a $2 million lawsuit filed against her.
She alleged that Joy Tongo stole from her, forged her signature, and after losing the lawsuit, proceeded to pull down her song “Pepper Me” from streaming platforms a takedown she said her team was able to successfully challenge as unlawful.
She added that her former label then went ahead to take down her entire project through other means, expressing exhaustion over the relentless battles and calling on fans to rally behind her and speak out against what she described as a grave injustice.
However, Joy Tongo has fired back, dismissing Qing Madi’s allegations as entirely false. She denied ever forging the singer’s signature or stealing from her, and pushed back on the claim that the lawsuit had been resolved in Madi’s favour, clarifying that the case has not yet gone to trial and remains ongoing.
She further explained that an existing court injunction is what legally empowers the label to issue takedowns of the singer’s songs and projects, questioning the basis of Madi’s victory claims.