I did it the other way around

Nigerian singer Yemi Alade says her career success came from choosing a path less traveled, one deeply rooted in African identity and pride.

In her conversation with Chude Jideonwo monitored by MyNewsGh, the Mama Africa singer reflected on how she refused to conform to Western expectations about what global success should look like.

“They said you need a Western collaboration, you need to be signed to a major record label, you need to look and sing a certain way,” she said.

“But I did it the other way around African proud. No collaboration. Just this girl who decided to take a chance on herself and sing another song.”

Yemi said her decision to focus on African sounds wasn’t easy, especially at a time when the industry didn’t fully celebrate African identity.

“It was a road nobody had really traveled, especially as a woman,” she noted. “People wanted to go beyond and above Africa, to put Africa beneath them. But I chose to go up through Africa.”

The singer also shared a lighthearted moment about her Grammy recognition, recalling how some people doubted the authenticity of her Grammy medal photo.

“Someone said, ‘This one go organize photo shoot for Grammy medal.’ And in my head I was like, look at you, Grammy is the one that organized this!” she said with laughter.

Now celebrated across continents, Yemi says her path proves that authenticity can triumph over conformity.

“It looked like rebellion at the time,” she reflected. “But I was just being me, African, proud, and unapologetic.”