Qing Madi sheds light on the duality of her public and private lives.

Nigerian artist Chimamanda Chukwuma, popularly known as Qing Madi, has opened up about the contrast between her public persona and her private self. In the latest episode of the Is This Seat Taken podcast, hosted by Chinasa Akunam, Qing Madi emphasized that her confident on-stage persona is completely different from her quieter, more introverted self.

When asked by Chinasa, “Would you say that there are any differences between Amanda and Qing Madi?” Qing Madi responded, “I think so in terms of performance and confidence because the people that know me from my home know that I don’t like to talk at all. I have a mini library in my room right now, so I’m just like, ‘books, books, books,’ and I just bury myself and chill.”

 

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The 18-year-old singer admitted that performing makes her nervous, as it sharply contrasts with her real self, who isn’t as confident. “Everything that has to do with coming out makes me nervous. But then, when it’s like, ‘You have to be Qing Madi now,’ and I have to come on stage, my mum is like, ‘Who is that?’ I come on stage, and I’m jumping, talking to the crowd, and they’re responding, and I’m like, ‘Okay, this is a whole alter ego.’ I think Qing Madi is a very confident person, but that’s not who I am.”

When discussing her love for classical ballet, which she sometimes incorporates into her music, she confessed that she enjoyed it even more than music at times. “I enjoyed it even more than music at some point. It’s one thing to suffer, and it’s another thing for your friend to suffer with you.

I loved it. I loved how my friends and I would cry from backaches; those memories of dancing in the church were beautiful. I loved ballet, and I feel like it was a huge part of who I was. I love that it takes a lot of discipline. It’s not something just anybody can do, so it’s like a bragging right.”

“Ballet helped with my confidence when performing on stage; it helped with my flexibility, obviously, and it was my safe place. It still is,” Qing Madi concluded.