Nigerian singer Yemi Alade has opened up about a phase in her university days when she briefly got hooked on smoking before deciding to quit completely.

Speaking in a recent interview With Chude, the “Johnny” crooner revealed that curiosity led her to try smoking while in school, but it quickly became something she started depending on before bedtime.

According to her, the habit almost became an addiction. “When I was in university, I tried smoking. It just didn’t work for me. Before it didn’t work out, it worked out a bit too much. I started needing to smoke before I went to bed — I was getting addicted to that lifestyle,” she said.

Yemi said that although she tried to keep the habit private, the feeling of hiding it made her realise she didn’t want to continue.

“In public, I would hide the cigarettes, and I just told myself, if I have to hide to do something, I won’t do it. I like to be aware of my decisions,” she added.

The singer said she eventually stopped after realising how harmful smoking could be to her voice and health, saying the entire experience didn’t last up to a year.

“Smoking for me didn’t last up to a year. I stopped because it wasn’t for me, and it could harm my voice,” she said.

Yemi added that while she occasionally feels tempted like every other human being, she remains firm in her decision, describing herself as someone who makes strict rules for herself and sticks to them.