Afrobeats singer Chukwuka Ekweani, popularly known as CKay, has opened up about his journey to stardom, revealing the sacrifices he made to pursue a career in music.
The ‘Love Nwantiti’ hitmaker, during a livestream with Carter Efe, disclosed that he had to go against his parents’ wishes, as they did not support his decision to venture into music. He said the disagreement led him to leave home at the age of 19.
According to CKay, he relocated from Kaduna to Lagos to chase his dreams, despite the uncertainty that came with the move.
On arriving in Lagos, he initially stayed with a friend before eventually securing a one-room apartment of his own.
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He added that he worked as a music producer in four different studios to survive and support himself during the early stages of his career.
“My parents didn’t want me to do music, so I ran away from home in Kaduna when I was 19,” he said.
“I came down to Lagos to chase my passion. When I arrived, I wrote a long letter and sent it to my mum via Blackberry.”
He continued, “At first, I was staying with a friend, but after some time, I got a one-room apartment. I was making money as a producer, working with four different studios. At some point, I had to drop out of university.”
CKay’s persistence eventually paid off in 2018 when he gained recognition with his breakout single, ‘Container’.
He went on to achieve global success the following year with Love Nwantiti, which broke several African records and surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, cementing his place as one of Nigeria’s leading Afrobeats stars.