Afrobeats star Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, has opened up about how the death of his father affected his childhood.
The ‘Calm Down’ crooner revealed that his father’s death left him with the responsibility of catering for his family at a young age, forcing him to “sell” his childhood. In a candid chat with GRM, Rema, 24, expressed his desire to “feel young again.”
He shared that he recently started smoking cigarettes in an attempt to feel “free and break some rules again.” Despite being an adult, Rema lamented that people still criticize his decision because he is a celebrity.
“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,” Rema said.
“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 many adults. So many meetings. I didn’t even roll with my age mates.
“So this project [‘HeIs’], 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.”
