Nigerian singer and former member of the now-defunct P-Square duo, Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr P, has pushed back against calls for his retirement from music. The debate emerged after some fans suggested that the 44-year-old artist should step away from Afrobeats, arguing that he was no longer within the age bracket typically associated with the genre.
Speaking during an interview on The Beat FM Lagos, Mr P dismissed the notion that musicians have a retirement age, insisting that music remains a lifelong career.
According to him, many global music icons continued performing and creating music well into their later years, citing the late Michael Jackson as an example.
“We should be careful of how people try to put others down. There’s no retirement in music. I don’t know why some people think there’s retirement in music,” he said.
The singer noted that Jackson was still actively involved in music and preparing for a major tour before his death.
“Michael Jackson was over 50 and was still planning a world tour before he died,” Mr P stated.
He further argued that calls for artists to retire are largely unique to Nigeria and suggested that such remarks are often driven by negativity.
“It’s only in Nigeria that somebody would just wake up and start calling on musicians to retire. I have seen some people do the same thing to Wizkid,” he added.
Mr P maintained that music transcends age and warned against efforts to discourage artists from pursuing their careers.