NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyan R&B singer Otile Brown has said fellow musician Jovial should not attend his funeral, revealing the extent of the hurt caused by their bitter public fallout.
Otile made the remarks during an appearance on the Over 1M Podcast, hosted by Tony Mwirigi, where he discussed his relationship with Jovial and the breakdown that followed their professional and personal disagreements.
The singer said he would not want Jovial at his burial even if he died immediately.
“Jovial is someone I’m saying today, even if I die, she is someone who should not be allowed at my funeral. Even if I die today, she should never come to my funeral. That’s how deep it is,” Otile said.
The remarks came as he explained why he has maintained a hard stance despite people telling him that he sometimes takes personal disagreements too seriously.
Otile said his position reflects how deeply he views relationships and how people treat each other.
The latest fallout became public in July 2026 following the release of their collaboration Ulinihukumu.
Otile publicly distanced himself from the song, saying he had not approved its release.
“If you don’t see me posting a collaboration song, just know it didn’t get my approval,” he wrote at the time.
Otile later explained that he had written the song and wanted additional time to make changes before its release. He said his concerns were ignored when the song came out.
Jovial responded to the dispute emotionally, accusing Otile of not wanting to see her succeed.
“We sema tu you’ve never wanted me to win! For years! Tena usitake niongee,” she wrote.
The disagreement over Ulinihukumu opened up wider questions about how the two artists handled their collaborations and payments.
Jovial subsequently raised concerns about payments from their collaborations, while Otile offered his own account of how money and publishing rights had been handled.
Otile rejected the suggestion that he had simply withheld money from her. He argued that the African music industry has weaknesses in how artists track publishing income and royalties. He also said he had financed some of their collaborations and claimed that formal split sheets had not been completed for several projects.
He also said he had supported Jovial outside their music collaborations. Jovial, however, disputed aspects of his account. The disagreement later became more personal when Otile publicly discussed a DNA test involving Jovial’s child.
Otile claimed that the test showed he was not the child’s father. The revelation added another layer to an already public dispute that had initially centred on music.
The situation also prompted Jovial to address the public exchange and seek an end to the confrontation.
The two artists previously enjoyed a successful musical partnership, releasing collaborations that attracted significant attention from Kenyan music audiences.
