“My Father Made Me Feel Useless”: Spyro Opens Up on Painful Childhood Struggles
- Nigerian singer Spyro spoke about the damaging effect his father's words had on his self-worth while growing up
- Spyro described feeling like the black sheep of his family, with little positive reinforcement to build his confidence
- The singer also addressed the intense pressure children of pastors face to conform to a lifestyle set by their parents
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Nigerian Afrobeats singer Spyro has opened up about a difficult childhood marked by self-doubt and emotional pressure, saying certain words from his father left him feeling worthless and afraid of the future.
The singer shared these reflections during a podcast interview on the Nevon HQ channel with Rufai Oseni, which aired on YouTube on September 15, 2026.
Source: Instagram
Speaking candidly, Spyro traced his struggles with self-confidence back to comments his father made during his formative years, noting that while he did not believe the remarks were entirely intentional, they still caused lasting harm.
"For me, it was terrible for me because my own father would usually just say some things to me, even though I think it doesn't mean that, but he would constantly tell me that, you know, he would use some words to me," Spyro said.
Spyro speaks on growing up as the black sheep of his family
Without much encouragement to anchor himself to, Spyro said he internalised a deeply negative image of who he was. He described feeling isolated within his own family, viewing himself as an outsider.
"There was nothing to build from because there was no positivity. You know, I was like the black sheep of the family," he said.
That sense of worthlessness followed him into his school years, where anxiety about his future became a constant companion. He feared whether he would even complete his education, let alone succeed beyond it.
"So thinking, when I think of myself, I think of myself as a failure already back then," Spyro said. He also shared that "when I got into secondary school, the fear was there that 'Can I even graduate or will I even graduate (from) university? The same thing.'"
The singer was direct about what drove that fear:
"Because of this fear, I mean, from some of the things that my dad would say and the words that he would use, I kind of felt useless, you know."
Source: Instagram
Spyro opens up on the burden of growing up as a pastor's child
Beyond his personal family dynamics, Spyro also touched on a broader experience shared by many children raised in pastoral households.
He described an unspoken but heavy expectation to live in a particular way, shaped entirely by what their parents deemed acceptable.
"Pastor's kids always face this thing where there's so much pressure on them to conform to a certain kind of lifestyle that their parents want them to live," he said, adding plainly: "I was under so much pressure."
Despite the weight of his upbringing, Spyro's openness about these experiences signals a willingness to process and contextualise a childhood that clearly shaped the person and artist he became.
Watch Spyro speak about his childhood experience in the YouTube video below:
Spyro shares unplanned worship experience
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that singer Spyro opened up about an unexpected event during his Easter performance.
A viral online video showed the hitmaker kneeling on stage and leading a worship session instead of his normal setlist.
Spyro later explained on Instagram that the change happened because he felt led to alter his original plan for the event.
Source: Legit.ng
