‘I Was Sexually Harassed As an Upcoming Artist’ — Singer Yemi Alade

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

Nigerian singer and songwriter, Yemi Eberechi Alade, popularly known as Yemi Alade, has revealed how music executives sexually harassed her during her early years in the music industry.

In an episode of the Swift Conversations podcast, Yemi Alade opened up on the struggles she faced as a young artist. She revealed that she was not financially buoyant and only had the talent and zeal.

“In those beginning days, all I thought I needed was just my talent because that’s what I have. I didn’t have a bank account full of money I could use to sponsor myself. I just had a talent and a zeal, and a promise that I made to myself and a promise I believed God made to me.

“So, I always tried to show up. I was told that I needed to work harder and so I worked harder, and it wasn’t enough. There were doors I needed to walk up to and when I walked up to the doors, they didn’t want my talent; they wanted something else,” she stated.

Yemi Alade further revealed that these acts were carried out by older men during studio sessions. She stated that she found it hard to speak up because she was in shock about the experience.

“Many times from business meetings to studio sessions to even winning certain awards and you meet maybe the managing director or any other executive and they are trying to rub your thighs under the table. And I was just a teen. My grandpa is rubbing my legs and I can’t speak because I’m in shock. We are having an actual business meeting.

“Why are you rubbing my thighs? I had to speak to myself and decided if music was what I wanted to do because the sexual harassment was becoming too rampant.

“But something in me told me to keep pushing my talent. So, I still showed up. If door was left open for me, I would walk in. If it was shut in my face, I would walk away,” she added.