Popular Nigerian singer Yemi Alade has revealed that she once struggled with a short-term addiction to cigarette smoking as a teenager, but eventually quit after realizing how harmful it was to her health and music career.

The “Johnny” hitmaker made this candid revelation during an interview with Chude Jideonwo, where she opened up about experimenting with smoking while in the university and how it almost became a habit.

According to Yemi, what started as curiosity gradually turned into an addiction — one she had to consciously fight to overcome.

“Some people say I don’t smoke, I don’t this, I don’t that. When I was in the university I tried smoking. It did not work out. But before it did not work out, it worked out a bit too much. I started needing to smoke before I go to bed. I was getting addicted to that lifestyle,” she said.

The award-winning singer explained that she began to notice that her habit was controlling her, especially since she had to hide the act in public while depending on it in private.

She said the turning point came when she decided that she would never continue any act she felt the need to hide from others.

“As a teenager in the university trying to figure out life, I also made certain decisions for myself that if I’m going to hide to do something, I will not do it. Because I like to be aware of my environment and my decisions. And I just said I don’t think cigarettes are for me.”

Yemi Alade added that smoking harmed her physically and affected her vocal performance, which further motivated her to quit completely.

“They are not for me. And they harmed me, they affected my voice anyway. So I stopped. Smoking for me did not last up to a year,” she concluded.

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Since her rise to fame, Yemi Alade has continued to inspire fans globally with her music and discipline, becoming one of Africa’s most consistent and powerful female voices in the industry.

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