Why I’m not considering marriage – Iyanya

Iyanya, the Nigerian singer, has opened up about his approach to relationships and marriage.

Speaking on the Afropolitan podcast, the 39-year-old musician admitted that maintaining celibacy is a variable practice for him, heavily influenced by circumstance and attraction.

The ‘Kukere’ hitmaker stated that marriage is not on his agenda, emphasising that radical honesty is now his guiding principle in romantic encounters.

“My celibacy fluctuates; it goes up and down. Sometimes you are trying to stay celibate and you run into a girl who gives you all the reasons not to be celibate. You do what you have to do, you now start missing the celibacy again,” he said.

“I am not thinking of getting married. So, I am very honest when I meet people now. When I meet people I don’t say, ‘Oh! I’m crazy about you.’ I say, ‘Listen, I’m healing. Don’t expect so much from me.”

Iyanya stressed that this transparency is crucial to avoid emotional harm, a lesson from his past.

“Maybe, when I was younger, I wouldn’t mind, I would just say what you want to hear. But now what has really helped me a lot is just saying, ‘I’m not in that space and I’m not going to lie to you or play with your emotions,’” he said.

Iyanya was previously in a high-profile relationship with Ghanaian actress Yvonne Nelson from 2012 to 2015. In her 2023 memoir, ‘I Am Not Yvonne Nelson,’ the actress attributed their breakup to his infidelity with actress Tonto Dikeh.

Iyanya has since confirmed that they remain on friendly terms, and he occasionally looks back fondly on their time together.