Omah Lay, the Nigerian artist known for hits like “Soso,” recently shared that the sudden surge of fame took a toll on his mental health.
Speaking on the Afrobeats Podcast, he revealed that initially, he struggled to adjust but eventually found his footing.
He explained,
It was a jump; at first I struggled, and it put me in a bad mental state because I was still trying to learn my ways. However, with time, I got more comfortable and learned that I’m running my race and that I should move at my own pace.”
Omah Lay spoke about the pressure of transitioning from a relatively unknown artist to a global sensation.
He likened it to going from a basic setup to a high-end studio and feeling disoriented.
As he grew accustomed to the changes, he found strength and began to relish his newfound success.
There was pressure. You don’t expect to move from one crappy laptop or spending all your life in the studio to being a global superstar.
You go lost. As soon as I learned and realized that, I became much stronger and started to enjoy my life more.”
He mentioned his vulnerability noting,
If I can put my vulnerabilities in my song, then I can talk about them. My music is all about my real-life experiences, and I know everybody in the world is listening to it.”
Previously, Omah Lay also opened up about his struggles with suicidal thoughts and depression.
In July 2022, the singer talked about depression and the many times he had thought of taking his own life. At the time he was releasing his single, ‘Boy Alone’. He remarked that, that would be the last time he wrote such sad songs.
He actually shared on Twitter now X, plus a video posted on IG,
He said,
I’m thankful for finding my way back to music after a whole year dealing with personal demons,
I wanna spill my heart on this app like this like this,
Boy Alone might be the last time y’all will hear me cry on a song.
On G I was dead ass down, insecure, scared, depressed, losing my mind like I was literally gonna kill myself.
My depression became worse after I knack my therapist.
People I used to look up to stopped showing me love,
I looked at people in the eye and saw doubt, disrespect and hate,
on G I lost myself, maybe I was just overthinking I don’t know
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