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Qing Madi’s Spotify Dispute Deepens as JTON and KFMD Trade Conflicting Court Narratives
The legal and contractual dispute surrounding Nigerian singer Qing Madi has escalated into a full-scale public disagreement, with her former label JTON Entertainment and her current management, KFMD, issuing sharply conflicting interpretations of a Lagos court ruling tied to her ongoing Spotify takedown controversy.
What began as a TikTok livestream has now developed into a multi-layered dispute involving competing legal narratives, allegations of contract invalidity, and claims of copyright enforcement actions affecting the singer’s catalogue.
The controversy intensified after Qing Madi, the 19-year-old artist behind the EP Barely Legal, went live on TikTok to address the sudden removal of her music from Spotify. During the session, she directly accused her former label boss, Joy Tongo of JTON Music, of financial misconduct, forgery allegations, and coordinated efforts to disrupt her career trajectory. She also claimed she had previously won a court case against the label, noting that the proceedings began while she was still a minor and required her mother’s involvement in court.
In response, JTON Entertainment issued a formal statement rejecting allegations of wrongdoing and framing the matter strictly as a contractual and commercial dispute rather than a personal conflict.
The label denied claims of harassment or intimidation and pushed back on interpretations of the court outcome, insisting that the High Court of Lagos State granted an interlocutory injunction in its favour. According to JTON, the order restrains Qing Madi from releasing, performing, or commercially exploiting recordings developed under the label, as well as from entering new agreements using the brand and platform it established, pending the final determination of the case.
JTON also confirmed existing recording and distribution arrangements with Sony Music and Bu Vision, stating that these agreements remain legally binding and enforceable.
However, KFMD, the management company now representing Qing Madi, released its own counter-statement on June 5, directly challenging JTON’s interpretation of events and presenting a sharply different legal position.
On the question of who initiated legal proceedings, KFMD maintained that JTON filed the suit, not the artist. The company also argued that the original contracts were signed when Qing Madi was 16 years old, classifying them as infancy contracts that are voidable under the Child’s Rights Law of Lagos State 2015.
According to KFMD, the court recognised Qing Madi’s right to terminate the agreements, retain control over her career decisions, and enter new management and recording arrangements independent of JTON. The firm further stated that the injunction being referenced by JTON is limited in scope and applies only to specific recordings tied to the disputed contracts, rather than constituting a broader restriction on her career.
KFMD also levelled additional allegations, claiming that JTON issued copyright takedown notices to platforms such as Spotify and Audiomack over rights it does not legally control. It further alleged that cease-and-desist letters were sent to promoters and event organisers to prevent Qing Madi from performing, actions it described as misrepresentations of the court ruling and an attempt to enforce restrictions beyond what the court ordered.
With both sides now publicly entrenched in opposing legal interpretations, the situation has evolved into a wider industry debate about contracts signed with minors, label ownership structures, and the enforcement of interim court orders in the Nigerian music industry.
As it stands, the substantive case has yet to proceed to trial, while Barely Legal remains partially affected on streaming platforms amid the ongoing dispute.
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