Afrobeats superstar Divine Ikubor, known as Rema, has shared the reasons behind why he started smoking, revealing how his father’s death deeply impacted his childhood.
The Mavins artist explained that losing his father forced him to grow up quickly, leading him to “sell” his childhood to support his family.
In a recent interview, the “Calm Down” singer added that he recently took up smoking cigarettes as a way to feel “free and break some rules.”
Rema expressed frustration that, despite being an adult, people still criticize his choices because he is a celebrity.
In his words:
“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 shoulder 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 level of seriousness. So much adults. So much meetings. I didn’t even roll with my age mates.
“So this project (‘He Is’) I just want to be a child. And it’s coming out. It’s not me forcing it out. It just sparked in my spirit. I just want to feel young again. I just want to be a rebel. You know, kids make mistakes and it’s acceptable. 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. All my life just feels so planned and scheduled. I just got tired.”
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Your father must be proud
There’s no excuse for smoking
❤️ you Rema