A Cameroonian teenage musician called Jato Sonita, signed under Forest Music, has been trending for days, after her manager was being accused by former protégé Clement Toh.
WHAT HAPPENED?
About a week ago, Cameroonian blogger and influencer Clement Toh – raised what could be the most controversial topic in the entire Anglophone media space in 2024, involving teenage musician – Jato Sonita.
Clement, alleged that Jato Sonita’s manager – Bayong Emmanuel Che, had gotten the teenager pregnant under his care, and confirmed that the singer had a kid in 2014, an information that was kept unanimously private, from the media since 2021 by her team and her family.
After the spark by Clement, Jato Sonita’s team, lead by her manager- organized a Press Conference, which eventually took place in the capital city of Yaounde, Cameroon, precisely in Bastos. The meeting saw Jato sonita’s manager, and other children signed under his record label, Forest Music, show up there to clarify themselves. The attendees, also involved Jato’s parents and media men from traditional to social media, as they briefed, regarding this delicate situation.
The Press Conference started at exactly 2.00 PM Central African Time. Jato broke into tears, as she went on to explain her ordeal, admitting that she had gotten pregnant at age 13/14, after she was being ræped by unidentified men who abducted her while she and her friends were swimming at a stream in Bambili, Bamenda, a town and the capital of the Northwest Region of Cameroon.
As Jato admitted that she had a one year old kid (a boy), she didn’t fail to debunk rumors that her manager had gotten pregnant. Rather, she narrated how her manager only found out after seven months, that she was pregnant. She was immediately taken to a private clinic where they began follow-up to make sure she was good. She eventually gave birth at 14, and the child was welcomed by the 16-year-old (at the time of this article), while she resumed her music activities, performing across the national territory like nothing happened.
As a star musician, popular beyond the national territory, the press conference shoke social media and while many applauded Clement Toh for raising an alarm publicly, many others, have continued to lash at the Uk-based influencer, calling him “Reckless” and “unprofessional” as they believe he was using the Jato Sonita situation for clout. Many rushed to confirm that Clement’s bad history with Jato’s manager could have been the reason why Clement accused him (Bayong) for being the father of the child.
WHY CLEMENT AND BAYONG FELL OUT
For the records, Clement worked with Bayong Emmanuel, as a Public Relations officer under Kids’ Hall Of Talents Foundation (KHOT) which brought to the limelight the youngest rapper in the country – Kowan, back in 2018. They were not only best of friends, but partners who went above and beyond to acquire, nurture, and promote talents, a mission they were fulfilling effortlessly. They raised strong kids like Kowan, Kelly Nangah, and many other kids.
The kid rapper didn’t take long to become big, following the level of work did with him. He won the 237 Showbiz music competition in 2018. Clement and Bayong, toured cameroon, having Kowan perform in big stages like the Samuel Eto’o music show and the Sports Complex in Yaounde, before dignitaries.
The relationship was all good but they would go on to fallout, when they couldn’t agree to disagree with issues concerning Kowan. This meant that, Bayong (Founder of KHOT) who was equally Kowan’s manager would no longer work with the kid neither would he work with Clement and other partners.
These events, had a toll on their relationship as Bayong went on to confiscate Kowan’s social media handles, as well as attempting to seize his Facebook page, which Clement was vigilant enough, to get hold of, according to him. It should be noted that, Kowan had already released an album, which was eventually deleted from all online stores, by his manager when things went sour.
With Kowan no longer under his care, Bayong continued his work with Jato Sonita and other kids. Jato who had been introduced some time in 2019, as a Public speaker, would be converted into a full-time musician. Bayong built a new concept for her and made her increasingly popular as the music industry didn’t hesitate to welcome the kid star.
Clement, 26, affirms that during his time of working with Bayong under kids’ Hall of Talents, Kowan had been exploited by his manager to the point that after saving the kid, he couldn’t watch the manager do that with another child, and that’s why when Jato Sonita’s uncle contacted him and revealed the truth about Jato’s pregnancy and alleged that it was her manager that was responsible, he couldn’t keep it to himself, given that it involves a minor.
The Press Conference, which took place on Wednesday August 28th, seems to have opened new wounds, as it vindicated Jato’s manager, and also confirmed that the singer is a mother of one. But this press conference has only opened a door for more unanswered questions, as it continues to take a different dimension as days go by.
More investigations are expected to continue, with legal battles expected to be the order of the day… this is so, because many person still don’t find all that was said at the press conference, convincing.
Whether or not, it was convincing, Jato’s manager has been cleared from all allegations by Jato Sonita and her mother/family, who all admitted that the manager wasn’t the father of the child.
