Award-winning Nigerian singer Flavour has shared a deeply personal chapter of his life, opening up about a two-year struggle with masturbation and the unconventional journey he says eventually helped him overcome it.
The highlife star, born Chinedu Okoli, made the revelation during a candid TikTok Live session with fans and friends, where he reflected on his early experiences with intimacy, the emotional challenges that followed, and the people he turned to for guidance.
According to Flavour, everything changed after he lost his virginity at the age of 24. He explained that he became emotionally attached to the woman involved, but after losing contact with her, he found himself battling feelings he did not know how to manage.
“After getting disvirgined at 24, I began to look for the girl that disvirgined me, but at that time, there was no phone. She gave me her email, so I was going to the Cyber Café to email her back and forth. There was no response, so I gave up, and I had never had a girlfriend at the time aside from a normal childhood crush, and nothing happened between us.”
Unable to deal with the situation on his own, the singer said he confided in a friend, who introduced him to adult dance videos that eventually led to a habit he struggled to break.
“I opened up to one of my street guys that the issue is giving me trouble. The guy then told me about Makoupa (a traditional African twerking dance adult content).
“I then went to get the Mapouka CDs. Once everyone had slept in the house, I would watch it prepared. I even used Morning Fresh soap sometimes.”
Flavour described the period as one of the most difficult moments of his life, admitting that the addiction left him feeling drained and ashamed. Determined to find help, he sought advice from his mother’s pastor, hoping spiritual guidance would help him overcome the struggle.
“I did it to the point I didn’t have strength. I was so ashamed and needed to talk to someone. I was looking for someone to talk to because it is not something you can go to your dad or mum to talk about.
“So, I went to see my mother’s pastor and waited for every other person to leave. I entered and opened up to him that I had an issue and had been looking for someone to talk to, and my spirit led me to him.”
The singer said the pastor gave him Bible passages, prayer points, and a 21-day spiritual exercise. However, he admitted that his efforts were short-lived after he relapsed while preparing to perform at a show.
“So I explained everything, and he gave me some prayer points and Bible verses I had to read every day. He gave me verses I had to read for 21 days. Then, I started fasting and all; it wasn’t even up to the weekend. That weekend I had a show, and the moment I started seeing girls’ shapes as I was mounting the stage, I entered the toilet.”
Flavour later sought counsel from an older Cameroonian bassist who was a member of his band. According to the singer, the musician offered a different perspective on his situation and encouraged him to approach it differently.
“It was back to square one. Finally, I mustered the courage and approached one of our Cameroonian band members, an elderly bassist. I opened up to him that the thing had been disturbing me for a long time, and he asked me how long I had been doing it, and I said two years consecutively.
“The bassist then told me the only reason I was caught in it is that I don’t have regular sex with a woman. He stated that seeing the girls at that age, I had to start engaging.
After the whole thing, the man then took me to a brothel because it was difficult to find women, and that’s how the asewo (prostitute) was born.
“Every week from the money I was sprayed, the man would remove some money to deposit. So, after we finish performing, I go knack. Since I started, masturbation stopped.”
Flavour’s candid account has sparked widespread conversation online, with many fans reacting to his openness about a deeply personal experience. His story sheds light on the struggles he faced before becoming one of Nigeria’s most celebrated musicians, while also highlighting the different paths he explored in search of a solution.
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