
The gospel music world was recently rocked by a public fallout between gospel music artists Mercy Chinwo, Judikay and their former record label, EeZee Conceptz Global. At the center of the dispute are allegations of financial discrepancies, ownership of master right, breaches of trust, and violations of confidentiality agreements.
As all parties involved shared their sides of the story, the controversy has sparked widespread debate within the gospel music community and the Nigerian church community at large.
THE START OF THE ISSUE
The issue initially was between Mercy Chinwo and EeZee Conceptz when news broke out that a court order was issued for the arrest of the label manager and that’s how Judikay got involved in the public feud.
Judikay, a renowned gospel singer, got signed with EeZee Conceptz Global in February 2019. The partnership brought her significant recognition and success in the gospel music industry. And as at February 2024, their contract expired to which Judikay was grateful for, making a public statement thanking EeZee and his wife for being supportive and accommodating during her time with the label.
According to Judikay, after the expiration of her contract, she noticed discrepancies in the finances and requested an audit but this move was allegedly frustrated by EeZee Tee and the label’s lawyer and despite assurances during a conciliatory meeting mediated by Apostle Anselm Madubuko, Judikay alleged that EeZee Conceptz failed to provide complete or accurate records, further obstructing the audit process.
JUDIKAY AUDIT REPORT
However, at the wake of these issues being made public in 2025, an audit report carried out by Pearson Consulting Limited highlighting financial discrepancies was eventually made public via social media. The report raised several issues which includes unexplained revenue discrepancies, undistributed income, and unshared streaming data.
The undistributed income was reported to amount to the sum of $264,109.16 from various sources such as Viusasa Media, Verger Records, Africori, YouTube, Genet Services, Symphonic, Capture The Sound of Music, Michelle Towo, and Mogi Arron . It was recommended by Judikay and her team through the auditing company for a compulsory obtaining of streaming data directly from Africori, YouTube, Skiza, Viusasa Media, CTSO, and Verger Records to obtain all related bank account information.
EEZEE CONCEPTZ GLOBAL RESPONSE TO JUDIKAY AUDIT REPORT
Reacting to the audit report circulating on social media, EeZee Conceptz Global issued a public statement addressing the allegations. The label expressed concern over the public release of the financial report, which they claimed violated a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
In the statement, the label stated that they provided all necessary bank statements and documents to facilitate the audit process, dismissing allegations of non-cooperation. They argued that discrepancies, such as variances in YouTube revenue, were due to factors like U.S. tax deductions, which would have been clarified if the audit report had been shared with them first before being made public.
as misclassified funds stating that those clients paid for services not related to Judikay causing the client to have raised concerns about their private information being included in the financial report circalating online, which also violates privacy agreements.
The label emphasized that Viusasa Media and other payments pertained to multiple artists under the label and were not exclusive to Judikay.
In response to the recommendation of obtaining all related bank account information, the label stated that granting access to their bank statements does not imply that all incoming funds are Judikay’s revenue.
The label admoshed in their statement that Judikay and her team should have clarified directly by contacting the digital platforms because they cannot give multiple artists money to only her.
As to why the label ceased remittances, they clarified that, they were also awaiting a financial report from Judikay and needed to conduct an audit of her account for earning from content and remaining obligations due to the label and to determine the financial standing and clarify who owes whom.
The label criticized the public disclosure of the audit report, citing it as a breach of the confidentiality agreement. They claimed the report’s release caused significant reputational harm and suggested there might be an agenda to tarnish their image.
JUDIKAY BACKS DOWN FROM THE CASE
After several days of back and forth, Judikay released a detailed statement addressing the controversy. In her statement, she recounted her experience with the label and explained her reasons for stepping away from the dispute.
Judikay revealed that she was never allowed to access her backend or receive payments directly during her contract period. She alleged that receipts sent to her were created by the label, and she accepted them in good faith.
Judikay in her statement maintained that the label failed to cooperate with the independent audit and that after initiating the audit, communication with EeZee Conceptz ceased, and her requests for proper closure were ignored.
Expressing her decision to step away from the case, she stated to be doing so to protect the sanctity of her ministry and the name of Jesus and reaffirmed her focus on glorifying God through her music and thanked her supporters for their prayers and love.
WHAT TO LEARN
The fallout between Judikay, Mercy Chinwo
and EeZee Conceptz has raised broader questions about transparency, accountability, and artist-label relationships in the gospel music industry.
Many fans and industry stakeholders have expressed support for Judikay & Mercy Chinwo, applauding their courage in seeking justice, others rooting for EeZee Tee referring to him as a victim in this case, while many others have called for more professionalism and better dispute resolution mechanisms within the industry than the washing of dirty linens publicly.
This case serves as a wake-up call for artists to seek knowledge as regards contracts and the business aspect of the industry and for record labels to uphold transparency.
Ultimately, this is a reminder that while trust and accountability are vital to sustaining healthy professional relationships in the music industry, the business part shouldn’t be neglected especially when it has to do with the Christian community.