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Seun Kuti has shed more light on his relationship with his dad.
Seun Kuti, the Nigerian musician, opened up about his relationship with his father, the legendary Fela Kuti, in a recent conversation. He shared that losing his father felt like losing a friend, a father, and a family member all at once.
Speaking with popular media personality Chude Jideonwo, Seun began by describing his unique relationship with his father, emphasizing that their dynamic was different compared to his older siblings.
He humorously mentioned that he used to feel sorry for his older siblings because their father had become a more laid-back version of himself when Seun was born.
He expressed, “Fela was a model father; he was very different from the stories I heard about my older siblings. I feel bad for them. I can’t lie. I tell them all the time, I enjoyed it for you guys. Trust me, I held it down. I did not slack. By the time he had me, he was 44; he was always home, so my relationship with him was very different from that of my siblings—very, very different. I know that for a fact.”
Watch him speak:
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Seun Kuti went on to provide more insight into the grief he experienced after his father’s passing in 1997. He described the loss as a unique and profound pain that he has not fully recovered from because his father was the person closest to him.
He mentioned that the weight of this loss was so significant that he grieved for an extended period.
The singer explained, “I grieved for my dad because he was the closest person to me, and he was the first person I know that died, so for me, it was a really impactful experience losing my dad; it was like losing my best friend, my dad, and a family member, all in one. I really grieved for a long time. I grieved for my dad.”
Subsequently, Seun discussed his mother’s passing, which happened while he was on a music tour. He revealed that he was unable to properly grieve her at the time, and as a result, he has not found closure regarding her death. He acknowledged that he is still actively grieving for his mother to this day.
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In his words, “The one I didn’t grieve was my mom. I had a tour. There was no time to break down. If I’m going to share some of my mental issues on your show, it’s like I think I’m grieving my mom in stages; kind of, I’ve not really had time to really delve into that, but the bad part is past, and I still grieve her from time to time. I don’t have complete closure for my mom like I do for my dad.”