Kenyan star Otile Brown has made a startling statement about his former collaborator Jovial, declaring that he would not want her present at his funeral.
The remarks came during a candid outdoor podcast-style interview filmed by M Podcast, in which the musician opened up about how deeply their fallout had affected him.
The two artists were once close creative partners, with hit collaborations such as “Such Kinda Love” forming a significant part of both their catalogues. Their working relationship collapsed publicly in mid-2026 following a bitter dispute over royalties and finances.
How the feud between Otile and Jovial started
Jovial fired the first shot in an interview with Alex Mwakideu, claiming she never received a fair share of earnings from their joint songs despite the music performing well commercially. She later produced a cheque for KSh 150,000 as evidence, arguing it fell far short of what she was owed.
Otile pushed back, insisting that weak royalty and distribution systems across Africa meant artists typically exchanged songs rather than splitting revenue down the middle.
He maintained that he had sent her payments when he could, wrote the bulk of their music, and had even covered her hospital bills and transport costs following the birth of her child.
He also alleged that she released a track without his consent and, in a particularly explosive claim, stated that a DNA test had confirmed he was not the father of her child.
The dispute eventually cooled somewhat when Jovial publicly apologised and indicated she wanted to move on from the conflict.
Otile says the pain still lingers
Despite the olive branch, Otile’s latest remarks suggest the wound has not healed. In the interview, he reflected on how deeply the situation had hurt him, saying people around him had dismissed his feelings by telling him he was taking things too seriously.
“People was so much like, oh, you take things so serious. Look at our lives, bro. Look how we are being governed. Look how we are suffering. You know why? Because we refuse to take things seriously,” he said, weaving personal grievance into broader social commentary on leadership and accountability.
He went on to say the hurt ran so deep that he would not want Jovial at his burial.
The declaration has reignited conversation among Kenyan music fans about the state of the pair’s relationship and whether a genuine reconciliation remains possible.
