Nigerian Afrobeats star Yemi Alade has opened up about a personal struggle that once left her depressed — revealing that she spent three years lying about her age before realizing the truth.

Speaking in an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, the Johnny crooner shared that she repeatedly told people she was 22 years old, only to later discover she was actually 25.

“There was a time someone asked me how old I was, and for about three years I kept saying 22. Then one day I calculated it and realised I was already 25,” she recalled.

Yemi said the discovery left her emotionally shaken, admitting that she slipped into a brief period of depression as she struggled to come to terms with it.

“I was depressed for a few days because my mind couldn’t process it. It was mental — for three years, I didn’t know my age,” she added.

Reflecting on the experience, Yemi Alade said it taught her a deep lesson about self-awareness and honesty, calling that phase one of the strangest periods of her life.