Nigerian Afropop singer Joseph Akinfenwa Donus, better known as Joeboy, has said he wasn’t ready for the celebrity life when he hit stardom.
The 26-year-old artiste said it came as a surprise when his hit song, ‘Baby’, garnered widespread airplay both domestic and internationally barely three months after its release.
Joeboy, who had a chat in the latest episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence Podcast, said that at the time he became famous, he didn’t even believe that people would recognise him yet.
The Headies Next Rated nominee said the fame was sudden and he had to pack out of his neighbourhood to adapt to his new status.
The singer said: “I wasn’t ready when ‘Baby’ blew. I had to adapt to get used to fame. It was so sudden. I dropped the song [‘Baby’] in March [2019], and by June I was already doing shows in countries I thought they don’t listen to Nigerian music. Countries like Tanzania, and Uganda. In three months!”
In similar news…
Ace Nigerian singer, Stanley Omah Didia, popularly known by his stage name, Omah Lay has said that his sudden rise to fame affected his mental health.
The ‘Soso’ crooner said at the initial stage it was challenging, but he started getting comfortable with the reality of being a celebrity and began to move at his own pace.
Omah Lay said: “At first I struggled, and it put me in a bad mental state because I was still trying to learn my ways.
“However, with time, I got comfortable and learned that I should move at my own pace. As soon as I realised that, I became much stronger and began to enjoy my life more.
“If I can put my vulnerabilities in my song, then I can talk about them. My music is all about my real life experiences, and I know the world is listening to it.”
