Afrobeats singer Fireboy DML has opened up about the experiences that frightened him after relocating to Lagos in 2016, recalling that he encountered scenes that left him deeply unsettled within his first few weeks in the city.

“I was so scared the first time I came to Lagos in 2016,” Fireboy DML recalled while speaking during a recent livestream.

The singer said his early days in Lagos exposed him to experiences that were very different from what he had known before, including seeing someone run mad, dead bodies and people he described as cultists.

His account also touched on a more personal episode involving his family, after an Instagram Story showing him with a cigarette triggered an emotional reaction from his mother and other relatives.

Fireboy’s Lagos Experience That Stayed With Him

Fireboy explained that he had relocated to Lagos, specifically Surulere, while pursuing his ambition of building a career in music.

According to the singer, the city initially appeared frightening to him. He said some of the people he encountered looked intimidating, while other incidents further intensified his fear.

He recalled that the change was particularly striking during his first weeks in the city.

What He Saw After Moving To Lagos

Describing those early experiences, Fireboy said he saw someone run mad and encountered dead bodies within two weeks of arriving.

He also mentioned cultists among the things that frightened him.

“People’s eyes were so red, and they looked scary. In two weeks, I saw someone run mad, dead bodies and cultists,” he said.

Fireboy added that he eventually became accustomed to the environment and adapted to the lifestyle around him.

With a touch of humour, the singer acknowledged how much he had changed since those early days.

“Now, I also look like those scary people,” Fireboy said.

The 2016 Move That Put Him In A New Environment

Fireboy’s recollection centres on the period when he moved to Lagos to pursue music.

Rather than abandoning his plans because of the unfamiliar surroundings, he said he stayed and gradually adjusted to the city.

That experience now forms part of his personal account of the transition from his earlier life to his emergence in Nigeria’s Afrobeats scene.

Then Came The Instagram Post

Another revelation from Fireboy concerned an incident involving his family and an Instagram Story.

The singer explained that he uploaded a snippet to his Instagram Story while holding a cigarette in his mouth. What he intended as part of a showbiz presentation instead caused alarm among members of his family.

The reaction quickly moved from Instagram to the family’s WhatsApp group.

His Family’s Reaction Was Immediate

According to Fireboy, his relatives became worried after seeing the image, while his mother became emotional.

He said his mother cried and that he had to explain that the cigarette was part of the image and was connected to his presentation as an entertainer.

The singer said he initially tried to reassure his family that there was no reason for them to be concerned.

“My mom was crying, and I had to explain to them that it was just showbiz,” he said.

Fireboy, however, added another detail that made the story more complicated.

What Fireboy Eventually Admitted

Although he told his family that the cigarette was part of the showbiz presentation, Fireboy admitted that he eventually smoked it.

“I later smoked it, sha; I can’t lie,” the singer said.

The admission added a humorous twist to what had initially been an emotional family episode.

Fireboy’s two recollections offer different glimpses into his life: one looks back at the shock of moving to Lagos as an aspiring musician, while the other shows how a seemingly simple social-media post could trigger concern among those closest to him.

A Look Back At Fireboy’s Early Lagos Days

Taken together, the stories reveal how Fireboy remembers two very different sides of his journey — adapting to the realities of Lagos while pursuing music and navigating the expectations and concerns of his family as his public profile grew.

His account of arriving in Lagos in 2016 provides a personal perspective on the adjustment that accompanied his pursuit of a music career, while the Instagram episode highlights the continuing connection between his public image and his family’s private reactions.