Nigerian music star Adedamola Adefolahan, popularly known as Fireboy DML, recently shared a striking story about his early struggles revealing he nearly took to selling rechargeable lamps under the Ajah Bridge in Lagos before his music career took off.
Speaking on the 90s Baby Show in London, a clip of which was posted on Instagram, Fireboy reflected on the difficult choices he faced before being discovered by Olamide and signed to YBNL Nation.
“I was seriously considering it,” he said. “There was this guy already in the business under Ajah Bridge. We talked, and I told him I was interested. Thank God for Olamide.”
At the time, Fireboy said he viewed the lamp business as a more dignified option compared to the menial jobs he was doing in secret jobs his parents never knew about.
“To me, it seemed more respectable,” he explained. “People would say, ‘You sell lamps,’ not something like pepper soup. It was crazy, but now we thank God.”
Everything changed in 2018 when a simple WhatsApp message led to his signing with YBNL. His breakout single “Jealous” part of the YBNL Mafia Family compilation catapulted him into the spotlight.
His debut album, “Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps” (2019), cemented his status as one of Afrobeats’ leading voices.
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