Afrobeats star Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, has opened up about how the death of his dad affected his childhood.

The ‘Calm Down’ crooner said the death of his father left him the responsibility of catering for his family at a young age and in the process, he was “forced to sell” his childhood.

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In a candid chat with GRM, Rema, 24, said he wants to “feel young again.”

He said he recently started smoking cigarettes in a bid to feel “free and break some rules again.”

Rema lamented that despite being an adult before deciding to smoke, people still criticise his decision because he’s a celebrity.

He said, “I really wanted to feel like a child again… I feel like I grew up too fast. Life switched up on me crazy when I lost my dad and my brother. The weight was just on my shoulder and forced me to sell my childhood to provide for my family.

“God willing, everything happened well, it happened fast. And with fast fame, comes fast maturity. It’s just like never ending level of seriousness. So much adults. So much meetings. I didn’t even rolled with my age mates.

“So this project [‘HeIs’], I just want to be a child. And it’s coming out. It’s not me forcing it out. It just sparked in my spirit. I just want to feel young again. I just to be a rebel. You know, kids make mistakes and it’s acceptable. But when you’re a teenager and you make the same mistake your peers would make, everyone will come for you just because you’re in the spotlight.

“I know people who smoked a cigarette when they were 13 and I’m 24 smoking a cigarette because I just want to feel free and break some rules. All my life just feel so planned and scheduled. I just got tired.”