Singer Iyanya has opened up on the painful loss of his father, elder brother and mother within a space of two years.
The ‘Kukere’ singer shared the heartbreaking experience during an episode of The Hero’s Journey podcast hosted by Hero Daniels.
He said the deaths happened shortly before and after his rise to fame through Project Fame West Africa, which he won in 2008.
“My dad passed about seven or eight days to me being recruited,” he said.
“Immediately I came out, and it was my brother who followed.
“The day my mom died, I had a show. I was backstage. I think like four minutes after my performance, my mom’s junior brother was calling me back to back.
“So I picked the call, he goes, ‘Your mom is dead’.”
The 37-year-old described the period as “the darkest” of his life, adding that he had to mask his pain in order to stay strong in public.
“It was the darkest period of my life, and I’m just glad that I scaled through,” he said.
“I had to just keep working. I had to be at every show like nothing happened.”
Iyanya, who was born in Calabar, Cross River State, began singing at the age of five in his church choir.
He won the first season of Project Fame in 2008 and released his debut album My Story the following year.
He gained massive popularity in 2012 after releasing the hit song ‘Kukere’ under Made Men Music Group, co-founded with Ubi Franklin.
He signed with Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records in 2016 but later left and returned to Made Men Music Group, releasing his 2024 album Once Upon a Cat.
In 2014, Iyanya tattooed the names of his late father, mother and brother on his chest as a tribute.
“Tattoo of my Late Dad !! Late Mum and Late Brother who all died in just a short time between 2008–2010, RIP,” he wrote on Instagram at the time.
Iyanya is currently one of the judges on Nigerian Idol Season 10 alongside Omawumi and Ric Hassani.
