Nigerian music executive, Ubi Franklin, has revealed that he includes a strict no-pregnancy clause in contracts signed with female artists under his label, stating that pregnancy during the contract period can derail career progress and compromise investors’ returns.
Speaking on the Culture Sonic podcast, Franklin argued that the entertainment business requires massive financial backing to launch and sustain artists, particularly women, and that an unexpected pregnancy could interrupt momentum and make it difficult for an artist to bounce back, especially if her career hasn’t been firmly established.
“If I’m signing a female artiste, I always put it in the contract that for the duration of the contract, you will not get pregnant,” he said.
“This is a freaking business. We should stop making it look like entertainment is just social media play. Sometimes you can spend N300 million on an artist and get nothing in return.”
Franklin clarified that he isn’t against women having children, but stressed the importance of building a solid professional foundation first.
He pointed out that female artists who have children before establishing a strong career often struggle to return to the spotlight.
“Tell me any female artist in our industry who had a baby without building a proper career and came back successfully,” he said. “I’m not saying they can’t have kids, but do it after you’ve built a name.”
(Tribune)
