Nigerian singer Yemi Alade has opened up about the sexual harassment she faced from music executives during meetings and studio sessions early in her career.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Swift Conversations podcast, the ‘Johnny’ crooner described harassment as one of the biggest challenges she had to overcome, but emphasised her determination to succeed without compromising her integrity.

“I realised I needed to stop just walking through doors and start breaking down walls,” she said.

Recalling her early days in the industry, Alade explained, “All I thought I needed was my talent because that’s all I had. I didn’t have a bank account full of money to sponsor myself. I just had talent, zeal, and a promise I made to myself—and a promise I believed God made to me. So, I always tried to show up. I was told I needed to work harder, so I did—but sometimes it wasn’t enough. There were doors I walked up to, and when I did, they didn’t want my talent; they wanted something else.”

She continued, “Many times, from business meetings to studio sessions, even in situations where I was being considered for awards, I encountered executives trying to touch me inappropriately. And I was just a teen. My grandpa—someone I trusted—was rubbing my legs, and I was in shock. We were having a business meeting. Why are you doing this? I couldn’t speak, but I had to decide if music was truly what I wanted to pursue, because the harassment was becoming too rampant.”

Despite these challenges, Alade said she was determined to keep pushing forward. “Something inside me told me to keep going. I showed up wherever a door was open for me. If a door was shut in my face, I walked away. I refused to let harassment stop my talent from shining.”