Comedian and actress Helen Paul has revealed that she recorded the iconic child's voice intro on P-Square's hit song "Story" but was never paid for the work.

Speaking during a recent interview, Paul said she recorded the opening line, "Uncle, please tell us a story," as well as multiple "Thank you" responses heard throughout the track, using different vocal tones to sound like several children.

"I did the 'Uncle, please tell us a story.' Then I also did the 'Thank you' parts using different voices," she said. "They matched all the different children's voices, so it sounded full."

She confirmed in a separate quote circulating online: "The voice on P Square's song 'Story', 'Uncle please tell us a story' was me, and P Square never paid me for it. I also did the 'Thank You' part using different voices. Then I never knew P Square; I never knew they were going to be this famous."

She said the recording happened while she was working as a receptionist at a recording studio, earning a monthly salary of ₦9,500. P-Square had come in expecting actual children to perform the voice parts, and when that didn't work out, someone at the studio suggested she try imitating them instead.

"I didn't even know what range was," she said. "I was just very good at imitating voices." She said she took the opportunity despite being told there wasn't significant money attached, and did not expect at the time that the group would go on to become one of Africa's biggest music acts.

Paul said she didn't understand at the time that voice actors could be credited or negotiate payment for their contributions, and chose not to pursue compensation afterward. "I didn't fight for it. I'm quiet about myself," she said, adding that her faith helped her move past any resentment over the missed opportunity.

Her fortunes shifted soon after through a separate voice-over job, stepping in for a child performer who couldn't make a commercial recording due to school exams. That opening led to a string of advertising voice-over work, and by around 2014 and 2015, she said her monthly income had grown from ₦9,500 to cheques worth roughly ₦400,000 to ₦450,000.

Paul, nicknamed "Tatafo" for her childlike voice, has since built a career spanning comedy, radio, television, and academia, where she now holds a professorship in Theatre Arts.