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Nigerian singer and songwriter Yemi Eberechi Alade, widely known as Yemi Alade, has disclosed that she experienced sexual harassment as a teenager at the hands of music executives.

The musician, in an episode of the Swift Conversations podcast,opened Regarding the challenges she encountered as a young artist, she shared that she lacked financial stability and relied solely on her skill and passion.

“In the early days, all I believed I required was my talent, as that was what I possessed. I didn’t have a bank account filled with funds I could use to support myself. I only had a talent and passion, along with a promise I made to myself and a belief that God had made to me. Therefore, I always aimed to be present. I was told I needed to work harder, so I did, but it wasn’t sufficient. There were doors I needed to approach, and when I approached them, they weren’t interested in my talent—they wanted something different,” she said.

Yemi Alade added that these incidents occurred to her at the hands of older men during studio sessions. She mentioned that she struggled to speak out due to being shocked by what happened.

“Many times, from business meetings to studio sessions, even when winning certain awards, I met the managing director or other executives who were trying to touch my thighs under the table. I was just a teenager. My grandfather was touching my legs, and I couldn’t speak because I was shocked. We were having a real business meeting. Why are you touching my thighs? I had to talk to myself and decide if music was what I truly wanted because the sexual harassment was becoming too common. But something inside me told me to keep pushing my talent. So, I still showed up. If the door was open for me, I would walk in. If it was shut in my face, I would walk away,” she added.