Veteran Nigerian musician, Sir Shina Peters, has ignited a spirited debate in the music community after asserting that his contributions to show business outweigh those of the late global pop icon Michael Jackson.
Speaking on The Honest Bunch podcast earlier this week, Peters stated, “The only thing you can show for show-biz at the end of the day is how many evergreens you have produced.
”To my credit, I have four evergreens. Even Michael Jackson has just two: Off the Wall and Thriller.”
Clarifying his terminology, Peters explained that by “evergreens,” he meant songs or albums that remained timeless and widely beloved over decades, regardless of commercial sales figures.
On the podcast, he expressed pride in shaping Nigeria’s music scene and lamented a perceived decline in the quality of output from younger artists.
The musician’s remarks, which he also shared via Instagram, have generated strong reactions online.
Some fans praised his confidence and celebrated his enduring influence in the Afro-Jùjú genre, a style he helped pioneer by fusing traditional West African rhythms with funk and electronic elements.
Others criticised the comparison to Michael Jackson, noting that the late American star’s global reach and commercial impact remain unparalleled.
Sir Shina Peters rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s with landmark albums such as Ace (1989) and Shinamania (1990), which transformed Juju music into faster, dance-driven sounds.
Michael Jackson, widely celebrated as the “King of Pop,” released Thriller (1982), the best-selling album of all time, alongside other global hits like Bad and Dangerous.
By making the bold comparison, Peters has sparked renewed discussions about how success and legacy are measured in music, highlighting the contrast between local influence and international commercial metrics.
The conversation underscored that musical impact could be defined not just by sales, but also by cultural longevity and artistic innovation, particularly within African music industries.
