Seyi Shay Opens Up On Childhood Struggles, Trauma [Video]

Nigerian singer Seyi Shay recently opened up about her challenging childhood experiences in the first episode of her podcast ‘No Holds Barred’.

In the episode, she discusses not knowing her father until her teenage years and being raised predominantly by her mother who had to work multiple jobs to provide for her family.

“I didn’t know my dad for a while until I got into my teenage years.

“I didn’t really know who he was although he came around a lot when I was much younger; I couldn't remember him.

“I was raised by my mum predominately and my brothers and sisters.

“I’m the last of four children and the age gap between myself and my brother is huge.

Seyi Shay

“I kinda came randomly, unexpected, unplanned, unwanted in some degrees,” she said.

Seyi Shay recalls being child-minded often, being looked after by different people, and struggling to develop a sense of identity.

She says that she resented her mother and father, and felt empty and resentful growing up without a stable family unit.

However, she acknowledges that her mother was doing the best she could to provide for her family in difficult circumstances.

As Seyi Shay grew older and became more independent, she started to feel the trauma of her childhood experiences more acutely.

She recalls feeling lost in her late twenties and struggling to find her purpose in life.

However, she eventually found a sense of purpose in wanting to create a stable family unit of her own and doing things differently than her mother did.

“I knew that I needed something to hold on to. Something that was mine, something that could help me to realize who I was, something that I could pour all my love that was innately in me into, that I never really got to feel from my parents or even express to anybody fully.

“At that point, I was like, you know what, I want a family and I wanted to do what my mum didn’t do.

“Everything that I feel she failed in, I wanted to do it right,” she said.