Afrobeats singer Divine Ikubor, better known as Rema, has shared how the tragic death of his father and brother deeply impacted his childhood, ultimately leading him to start smoking.
The Mavin Records signee made the revelation in an interview with GRM on Wednesday where he promoted his sophomore album HeIs.
Explaining why he turned to smoking, the ‘Calm Down’ hitmaker expressed his longing to break free from the constraints of his life.
“I really wanted to feel like a child again… I feel like I grew up too fast. Life switched up on me crazy when I lost my dad and my brother.
“The weight was just on my shoulders and forced me to sell my childhood to provide for my family. God willing, everything happened well, it happened fast. And with fast fame, comes fast maturity.
“It’s just like never-ending levels of seriousness. So much adults, so many meetings. I didn’t even roll with my age mates,” Rema said.
The 24-year-old lamented that despite being an adult, his decision to smoke still draws criticism due to his celebrity status.
“But when you’re a teenager and you make the same mistake your peers would make, everyone will come for you just because you’re in the spotlight.
“I know people who smoked a cigarette when they were 13, and I’m 24 smoking a cigarette because I just want to feel free and break some rules,” he said.
In June, Rema stirred reactions from Nigerians after sharing pictures of himself smoking, forcing singer Cynthia Morgan to call out the Mavin Records boss Don Jazzy.
