Nomcebo and Open Mic still at war as singer lands in US
Singer Nomcebo Zikode has come out to denounce claims that her dispute with Open Mic has been resolved.
![Nomcebo Zikode at the Grammys](https://media.citizen.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/nomcebo-open-mic-dispute.jpg)
Nomcebo has released a statement in which she denies that she and Open Mic have reached an agreement. Picture: Instagram / Nomcebo Zikode
In a succinct statement released by her management, Grammy-award winning artist, Nomcebo Zikode has vehemently denied that she and Open Mic Productions have reached an agreement, as the court ordered last year.
“Nomcebo would like to categorically denounce these false and injurious reports and publicly set the record straight on the current status of the matter,” reads the statement.
Nomcebo and Open Mic have been embroiled in a legal battle since 2021, over the termination of her recording agreement which has spilt over to a song Nomcebo was featured in.
The said song is the Grammy-winning Bayethe which she did with Wouter Kellerman and Zakes Bantwini. The singer also claimed that she had not been paid any of her due royalties from the record-breaking global hit single Jerusalema or her project, Xola Moya Wam.
Nomcebo turned to the high court after Bayethe was taken down on Spotify.
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Open Mic not coming to the party
Late last year, a court order was obtained which ordered Open Mic and Nomcebo to enter into a joint venture agreement and settle the outstanding issues between the two parties.
“Despite the court order that was obtained, and Open Mic’s commitment to remedying the matter, they have failed to come to the party per the stipulated timelines,” the statement read.
“Nomcebo is eagerly awaiting the finalisation of this matter so that she can continue with her recording plans and put out new music to further her career as a recording artist,” said Sibo Mhlungu, CEO at IMG Africa, who is the singer’s management.
“We are unhappy with Open Mic’s delay, as we had jointly undertaken to adhere to clearly stipulated timelines on submission of all required information, which remains outstanding, thus prolonging the matter. Should this not be resolved in the coming weeks, we are certain that we’ll be going back to court,” concluded Mhlungu in the statement.
The controversial record company has been embroiled in similar contractual disputes with other artists, notably Makhadzi.
The Ghanama singer released a statement earlier this month in which she declared that her working relationship with Open Mic Productions has ended. A few days after this, she went on Twitter to claim the record company has been treating her like a slave in a thread of tweets.
Nomcebo in the US
As her dispute with Open Mic rages on back home, Nomcebo landed in the US yesterday for what seems like a work trip. The singer has an ardent following in America since the release of Jerusalema.
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