Ubi Franklin: Why I Include Pregnancy Clauses in Female Artiste Contracts

1. Nigerian music executive and talent manager Ubi Franklin has opened up about the complexities of managing artists in the entertainment industry, highlighting how fame can change both male and female stars, and how pregnancy poses a unique challenge for upcoming female artists.

Speaking on the Culture Sonic podcast, Ubi challenged the widely held notion that only male artists become promiscuous after attaining fame. According to him, female artists often follow the same path, losing focus and discipline once success sets in.

“The only artist you can truly manage is one who hasn’t had a hit yet. Once they experience success, the biggest issue becomes womanizing for men — and for female artists, it’s promiscuity too,” he stated.

Ubi also discussed the often-overlooked challenge of pregnancy in managing female talents. Due to the significant financial investments required to develop an artist — sometimes up to ₦300 million — he said an unexpected pregnancy can disrupt an artist’s career trajectory and compromise returns on investment.

To mitigate this, Ubi revealed that he includes a pregnancy clause in contracts when signing female artists, restricting pregnancy during the contract period.

“This is a serious business. It takes hundreds of millions to build an artist into a brand, and if a female artist gets pregnant before establishing a solid career, it can derail everything,” he explained. “I’m not saying women shouldn’t have children, but timing is important. Build your career first.”

He argued that in Nigeria’s highly competitive music industry, it is extremely difficult for a female artist to regain momentum after childbirth unless she had already attained significant success before getting pregnant.

“Tell me one female artist who wasn’t already established, got pregnant, and still came back stronger. It’s rare,” he said. “If I’m signing a female artist, that clause will be in place. This is a business, not just what people see on social media with artists posting and having fun.”

Ubi emphasized that despite the glamour, the entertainment business is capital-intensive and unforgiving of setbacks. “Right now, even with ₦150 million, you’re just starting. You could spend ₦300 million and still not make any profit,” he said.