The Afrobeats superstar feels like life forced him to sell his childhood.
Nigerian heavyweight singer and performer Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, recently revealed why he took up smoking cigarettes. In an interview with UK media platform GRM Daily on the latest episode of “Thoughts in a Culli,” the Mavin/Jonzing signee opened up about his struggles, career, and the pressures of his fast-paced life.
Rema, whose sophomore album HEIS is still making waves, shared that he decided to make his project the way it is because he wanted to reconnect with his childhood and experience a sense of freedom and playfulness that he felt he lost due to his early rise to fame. Speaking emotionally with the host Post while cruising around the streets of London in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Rema explained that he has been on a strict schedule from a young age, which left him feeling like he had to be serious all the time.
He admitted that smoking became a way for him to cope with these feelings, allowing him to escape the rigidity of his life and feel a sense of rebellion or release. Through his music and lifestyle choices, Rema is seeking to reclaim a part of his childhood that he feels was taken from him by the demands of his career.
“I really wanted to feel like a child again; it’s been something that literally tore out my spirit. ’cause I feel like I grew up too fast. Life switched up on me crazy. When I lost my dad, when I lost my brother, it was just like… the weight was just on my shoulder, and it forced me to just sell my childhood just to provide for my family.”
Speaking further in the interview, Rema revealed that due to how quickly he grew up, he just wanted to feel young again, embrace a sense of rebellion, and experience freedom by breaking some rules. This desire led him to pick up vices like smoking cigarettes, a habit for which he is being judged because of his public image.
Rema acknowledged the scrutiny that comes with being in the public eye, but he emphasized that his actions stem from a longing to reclaim the youthfulness he feels was lost in the rush of his early success.
Watch the full video below.
