Tejiri Akpoghene and Abovav Sign to Ultra and The Revels Group’s Coup D’Etat Music for Publishing
The Nigerian hitmaker, with the help of his management team at Abovav Play, has entered his first global publishing deal.
Tejiri Akpoghene has signed a global co-publishing deal with Ultra Music Publishing and The Revels Group’s new boutique publishing arm Coup D’Etat Music. The deal was facilitated by his management team, Abovav Play, (which is helmed by the hitmaker’s brother, Frederick Akpoghene) and marks both Akpoghene’s first publishing agreement. The deal is also Coup D’Etat Music’s first signing outside of their Revels Group-associated signees.
Akpoghene’s signing arrives on the heels of his breakthrough success as a co-writer and co-producer on “WAIT FOR U” by Future, featuring Drake and Tems which is currently in the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Akpoghene has been an instrumental collaborator for singer-songwriter Tems in her solo work as well, co-penning tracks like “Higher,” “Looku Looku” and “Vibe Out.”
To track the undeniable popularity of Afrobeats stateside, Billboard launched the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart on March 29, in partnership with music festival and global brand, Afro Nation. Akopoghene’s mark can be seen near the top of this chart as well as the Hot 100, particularly for his work on “Higher” which is currently ranked No. 7.
When he is not working on others’ projects, Akpoghene is often writing for himself. He previously released music as half of duo Oddio Tribe with David Owolabi, and solo music for the hitmaker is slated for release later this year.
His brother, manager, business partner and tech entrepreneur Frederick says Tejiri’s knack for music making has always been “innate,” starting in church where as a young boy Tejiri learned to play drums and other instruments before trying his hand at production at age 14, using digital audio workstation (DAW) Fruity Loops. “[I] never looked back,” says Tejiri. “I was an introvert and music gave me a voice. I poured my soul into my craft.”
“To me, Tejiri has been the greatest since we started this journey as teens. And now the world has caught up to his greatness,” says Frederick.
Now, as a successful musician across multiple genres, Tejiri says he believes creating music is “frequency, vibration and healing… how we change the world.”
Andreas Rizek, Ultra Music Publishing’s senior director of a&r, says, “Tejiri is the epitome of what Ultra Music Publishing stands for—his sound is global and his love for music is infectious. We are very excited to work with a talent like Tejiri and alongside our great partners at Coup D’Etat Music/The Revels Group.”
Coup D’Etat CEO and The Revels Group president Matt Geffen adds, “Coup D’Etat and Revels’ mission has always been to empower creatives and inspire feel – which is exactly what Tejiri has done from the second we met him. While his music has already impacted billions of people across the globe, we know he’s just getting started and we’re excited to continue to support his growth as a leading producer, songwriter and artist.”
Akpoghene is the new publishing company’s third signee and first external one to The Revels Group’s roster, following previously announced deals with Tommy Parker and Nik Dean.
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