A TikTok video by @premiumtimes shows how a 2024 track by King Pereama Freetown, titled “I Love My Wife,” has become the latest viral sensation in Nigeria. The song has sparked the “Manuel Refuse To Marry” trend, where users create comedic skits and dance videos centered around the lyrics of the sixteen-minute highlife epic.
The trend follows in the footsteps of previous viral revivals like Mike Ejeagha’s “Gwo Gwo Ngwo,” proving TikTok’s power to breathe new life into older or niche Nigerian music. Creators are using a specific snippet of the song to playfully mock “forever bachelors” or depict humorous scenes of men avoiding domestic responsibilities and wedding bells.
King Pereama Freetown, a veteran in the highlife scene, has seen a massive surge in streaming numbers and social media followers since the snippet took off. The song’s resurgence highlights a growing appetite among Gen Z Nigerians for traditional sounds repackaged through short-form video content.
The trend has moved beyond TikTok, with celebrities and influencers joining in, further cementing the song’s “viral” status. It serves as a reminder of how cultural heritage and modern social media algorithms are currently intersecting to create unexpected hits in the Nigerian music industry.
* Friday Omosola (Premium Times): “The spotlight has shifted to ‘I Love My Wife’… gaining new attention on TikTok through the viral ‘Manuel Refuse To Marry’ trend.”
* TikTok Community (Social Media): “Nightclubs are not your house… forever bachelor go and marry your wife.”
This trend demonstrates that “viral” success in 2026 doesn’t always require a high-budget music video or a major label push; it requires a relatable “hook.” For King
Pereama, this could lead to a career Indian summer with new collaborations and festival bookings. We should watch if this leads to a “remix culture” where Afrobeats producers sample the track for a modern club version.
Source: Premium Times — https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/music/863401-manuel-refuse-to-marry-tiktok-resurrects-king-pereama-2024-track-i-love-my-wife.html March 12, 2026
Photo Credit: Premium Times
