Yemi Alade, singer: I wanted to be a mega superstar

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Interview – Yemi Alade: "I wanted to be a mega superstar"
BBC World Service | Host: Nkechi Okwonna | Date: August 11, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Interview spotlights Yemi Alade, a Grammy-nominated Nigerian singer and songwriter. Known for her trailblazing role in elevating Afrobeats globally, Alade discusses her journey, her experiences as a woman in the music industry, representing Africa in her music, navigating fame, entrepreneurship, and the challenges of an African – specifically Nigerian – identity on the international stage. The conversation is rich with insights into both the personal philosophy and social realities that shape Alade’s artistry.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Life, Identity, and Aspirations

• Growing Up and Early Passions

  • Yemi reflects on her strict upbringing, her love for music, and finding life through extracurricular activities at school.

    “I was just a young teenager trying to navigate the idea of life... I loved music, I lived for music. I loved to dance.” (04:56)

  • Her commitment to academics was a deal with her mother, balancing school and artistic passions.

• Choosing Her Real Name as Stage Name

  • Yemi discusses her deliberate choice to perform under her real name, despite considering stage names like “Elektra” and “Ginger.”

    “I changed my mind because... you already expect me to be electrifying. Like you already see me coming. And I didn’t want people to see me coming or over expect.” (06:36)

  • Her name, “Yemi Alade,” meaning “thanks be to God” and “the one who holds the crown,” holds deep personal significance.

    “All of that embodies who I am and I want to be. And so I held onto my birth name.” (07:34)

Music, Language, and Cultural Representation

• Multilingual Performances and Audience Connection

  • Yemi describes the importance of singing in multiple languages (French, Swahili, Portuguese), rooted in her desire to build genuine connections with diverse African audiences.

    “Why don’t I do something that is even extra dear to them? Sing in their language and just show them that I truly heart them.” (02:53, 11:01)

  • “As a musician, I have certain songs on my playlist that I don’t know what the person is singing, but I can feel what they’re singing.” (11:26)

• Electrifying Stage Presence

  • Nkechi calls her performances “electrifying.” Yemi reveals she enjoys the element of surprise and unpredictability on stage.

Navigating the Industry: Success, Challenges & Diversification

• Path to Mega Stardom

  • Yemi candidly shares that she always wanted to be a “mega superstar” but didn’t know how. Winning a talent show turned her hobby into a career.

    “I just knew that I wanted to be a mega superstar and I didn’t know how... I surround myself with the right people who believed in the vision.” (09:26)

  • The initial push to pursue music professionally came after feeling validated by her talent show victory.

• Staying Relevant and Beyond Music

  • Yemi credits her continuous creativity and authenticity as keys to sustained relevance.

    “My focus is not just to stay relevant, it’s just to be me... I’m just doing me and getting by.” (14:21)

  • She launched her beauty line, Yen Beauty, after years of planning, to diversify and secure her future.

    “It’s an idea that I had been working on for over four years...” (15:01)

Being a Woman in Music

• Systemic Inequality & Demanding Value

  • Alade highlights the unwritten rules in the music industry that require women to work twice as hard for half the recognition and pay.

    “There is an unwritten rule that we have to work double the time, double the hours, and put in double the effort to rise above all possible doubts.” (15:56)

  • She shares strategies for confronting pay inequality:

    “You have mouth. Demand. No, you use your mouth and you say what you want, and while you’re doing it, back it up with your work.” (18:15)

• Advice to Young Women and Artists

  • Yemi encourages persistence and action above all else:

    “The beautiful thing about dreams when they meet action is that there’s nothing that can stop them. Continuous action gives results... Having a dream is really crazy because normally you’re supposed to be in your sleep while dreaming, right? But the minute you take that dream and you bring it to reality, that’s where the work starts.” (24:00)

Facing Institutional Challenges

• The Challenge of Piracy and Government Support

  • Yemi discusses the lack of protection for artists’ intellectual property in Africa and inadequate government support.

    “We are robbed of that in Africa because we don’t have systems that protect the artist, preserve the artistry, and elongated longevity.” (19:27)

• Barriers with the Nigerian Passport

  • She describes the stigma and obstacles she encounters while traveling as a Nigerian, from discriminatory immigration practices to dreams of a more open, inter-connected Africa.

    “The struggle and stigma of the green Nigerian passport has been passed on from generation to generation... I find myself fighting battles I did not start.” (20:33)

  • Advocates for visa-free travel across Africa to unleash economic and creative potential.

    “Why should I be trying to do business in Nigeria with an East African company and we’re talking dollars... We are the motherland. We have the value, the actual value.” (21:42)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On her journey:

  “Music chose me before I chose music... The inspiration to now make it an actual career dawned on me when I won the talent show.” (09:26)

• On being a woman in entertainment:

  “What’s truly yours might be delayed, but cannot be denied.” (16:34)

• On success:

  “The biggest myth about success? When you’re successful, it becomes easier. That’s a big lie. Harder than it ever was.” (23:27)

• On advice for young dreamers:

  “If only you put [the disadvantages] aside and focus on what you have, the sky is your starting point.” (25:16)

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Quickfire Round Highlights (22:09–23:33)

• Wish List Collaboration: Bruno Mars (22:25)
• Stereotype about Africa she’s tired of:

  “Oh, you mean you have lions in the streets?” (22:40)

• Alternate Career: Working in aviation (22:58)
• African Meal She Loves: Afang soup (23:13)
• Biggest Myth About Success:

  “When you’re successful, it becomes easier. That’s a big lie.” (23:27)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Yemi on performing in multiple languages: 02:53 & 11:01
• Choosing her stage name and personal meaning: 06:06–07:39
• Journey from hobbyist to superstar: 09:26
• Barriers for women and equity in music: 15:56–17:54
• Piracy and lack of industry structure: 19:27–20:11
• Travel challenges with Nigerian passport: 20:33–21:42
• Quickfire round (personal insights): 22:09–23:33
• Advice to young African women: 24:00–25:18

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Tone & Atmosphere

The tone is conversational, spirited, and warmly humorous, reflecting camaraderie and shared cultural background. Both women infuse the dialogue with authenticity, Nigerian slang, and laughter, making the profound points accessible and relatable.

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This episode delivers a powerful lens on the realities for African women in entertainment, the power of cultural representation, and the necessity of resilience and self-advocacy. Yemi Alade’s story offers encouragement for young dreamers — and a call for systemic change.

Transcript

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[Nkechi Okwonna]

Hello there, I'm nkechi owonna, the BBC's Focus on Africa presenter and this is the interview from the BBC World Service. The best conversations coming out of the BBC People shaping our world from all over the world.

[Podcast Advertiser]

I want to get freedom. I like that. Freedom.

[Yemi Alade]

A gender equal world would be a better world for men too. We need a ceasefire, we need healing, we need trust. These companies don't really, they don't care what governments do.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

This is a war. The first thing that we want is the war to end. For this interview I met Nigerian citizens, singer and songwriter Yemi Alade at our studio in Nairobi. Grammy nominated Alade is one of Africa's biggest music stars and a trailblazer who helped take Afrobeats to audiences around the world. She collaborated with artists including Beyonce and became the first female African Afrobeat artist to surpass 100 million views on a single music video. Alade tells me about navigating the industry as a woman, myths around success and and what it's like to tour on a Nigerian passport. You're also going to hear what it's like singing in several languages.

[Yemi Alade]

The first language that I translated my music to was actually French and it was born out of curiosity. I felt a very strong calling from A lot of French African countries. And I would see them at my performances front stage. They'll be singing my songs, and they don't speak English, they don't speak pidgin, they don't speak any of my native languages. And I just thought, why don't I do something that is even extra dear to them? Sing in their language and just show them that I truly heart them.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Welcome to the interview from the BBC World Service with Yemi Alade. Yemi Alade. I want you to say it, how you say it in the songs. It's Yemi Alade.

[Yemi Alade]

That is really cool. That is really cool.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Fantastic. Thank you so much, Yemi Alade, for taking out time to join us. How are you doing?

[Yemi Alade]

I am fine. Fabulous. And I'm liking the fact that our colors are sort of matching.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

You know, the universe is in alignment. I believe this clock it. Fantastic. You're in Nairobi. Yes, I am. Hey, it's good to have you. How are you enjoying Nairobi? How is Nairobi treating you?

[Yemi Alade]

Nairobi is always kind to me. And I always say that Kenya is my second home. It's been over a decade of flying in and out of Nairobi. And so every time I come in here, it actually gets better. The experience gets better. Better and better and better.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Have you picked some Swahili? Done a song in Swahili? Actually, of course.

[Yemi Alade]

Yes, I have. I have done translation. I've translated some of my songs to Swahili, especially the song Nagodi Nagod.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

That's a thank you in Hausa. Yes, yes, yes.

[Yemi Alade]

So it was now, Papa, and there's. I've had a song with, which is called Dakupenda. And along the line, every now and then, I throw in a Swahili word or the other.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

But before the talent show that brought you into limelight, that made the whole world know the kind of talent that you embody. Who was Yemi Aladdi?

[Yemi Alade]

I was just a young teenager trying to navigate the idea of life. Obviously, attending school. School was the basis of my living, literally. But I loved music. I lived for music. I loved to dance. I grew up in a very strict household, and so the only way I could feel like I was alive was to soak myself in all the extracurricular activities that were in school. So from dance to acting to all of that, I was that girl that was out there. But my deal with my mom was that I had to make sure that I bring back home good grades. So ideally, growing up, I was just that girl trying to understand life, that loved music, loved Dance and. Yeah, yeah.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

You're doing what you love to do. I mean, I see your live performances there. One word, electrifying. That's the word I used to describe. Another thing that always strikes me is some artists, I don't have a problem with artists who, you know, go by an alias or an AKA or a stage name. But Yemi Alade is on your passport.

[Yemi Alade]

Yes, ma'.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Am. What does that say to you as a person?

[Yemi Alade]

Thinking back now, when I look back, I'm like, why did I do it? So that I can hide under the radar when I want to. Now I just have my own birth name in everyone's faces and in everyone's ears. You use a certain word when we're describing my stage performance, and you said you feel it's electrifying. You find it electrifying. One of the names that I had played with in my early days was Elektra.

[Thumbtack Advertiser]

Yes.

[Yemi Alade]

My name was going to be yes.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

You saying and I'm here with Elektra.

[Yemi Alade]

Yeah, it was going to be Elektra, but I changed my mind because I felt like the minute you hear Electra, you already expect me to be electrifying. Like you already see me coming. And I didn't want people to see me coming or over expect. I wanted them to not know what's coming. And then I tried another name. Ginger. Ginger Spice. But the problem is Ginger says in Nigeria, when you say ginger, it means energy.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Energy.

[Yemi Alade]

I said, oh, no, I'm just really telling everybody who I am before they even meet me. And then I had a moment where I just really sat on the idea and thought about it. And I honestly did reach out to God and I just asked, please, just lead me. And the. The reckoning that came on to me was that I needed to stick to my birth name because it had a huge meaning behind it. And I tapped into that meaning and it means thanks be to God, which is okayemi. And then the Alade means the one who holds the crown, the one who's near the crown. And I feel like all of that embody who I am and I want to be. And so I held onto my birth name.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Speaking of life.

[Yemi Alade]

Yes.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

You don't really share much about personal life online.

[Yemi Alade]

That's why it's called personal.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

But, you know, you have a huge following and sometimes people just wonder, like, what's she up to in that space?

[Yemi Alade]

Like, what space is this, by the way?

[Nkechi Okwonna]

The space that you don't want to make public. That space.

[Yemi Alade]

Thank you for respecting my personal wishes as we Were saying, but do you

[Nkechi Okwonna]

get time for, for that space?

[Yemi Alade]

For that space? That space now.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Wow.

[Yemi Alade]

You do you get time for that space too?

[Thumbtack Advertiser]

Who knows?

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Who knows?

[Yemi Alade]

I like that response. I, I, I'll keep that.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Okay. Okay. So she's not spilling, obviously.

[Yemi Alade]

Care to know more about my new album?

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Okay.

[Ashley Kineti]

Yes.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Okay. All right. What's this new album? What's the store about? What are the cities you're going to? What should people look out for?

[Yemi Alade]

This album, it features artists from East Africa, Nigeria, and other parts of Africa as well. And the tour itself kicks off in Paris. I'm returning there for like the fifth time on my own solo concert. And from there we go to other countries and hopefully Asia as well. The tour is a very intimate first come, first serve.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

But how did a young woman from Nigeria take on music? A career that has transcended genres, has transcended cultures, languages, and has gone on stages to do great collaborations and take music to another level.

[Yemi Alade]

I just knew that I wanted to be a mega superstar and I didn't know how. And I'm thankful that I surround myself with the right people who believed in the vision. I feel like Africa chose me before I even chose Africa. And I feel like also music chose me before I chose music because music was my hobby. But I had no plans of really making it a proper career. Like the one thing that I would do as my, my source of living. I never really considered that 100%, but the inspiration to now make it an actual career. It dawned on me when I won the talent show. When I became the winner, it just occurred to me that I could actually get more from this hobby than I had actually thought because it wasn't logical for me. We come from Nigeria now. Who wants to be a musician?

[Nkechi Okwonna]

At that time, I was just going to say, then it was doctor, lawyer, engineer.

[Yemi Alade]

My mom needed me to be the doctor of the household. Like, what am I talking about? Music. So the idea of music was just me in my bubble. But for me to actually come out and say, oh, this is what I want to do for a living. It didn't happen for me until I won a talent show. And I suddenly real realize that it's possible.

[Ashley Kineti]

Yeah.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Were you always singing in the bathroom? Are you the type that used to sing in the bathroom?

[Yemi Alade]

I would even sing my response to you. Look, you're talking about bathroom. I'm out here singing responses. You're asking me a sane question, and I'm responding, oh, no. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm so annoying.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Speaking of singing you sing in different African languages. What does that representation mean for you?

[Yemi Alade]

The first language that I translated my music to was actually French, and it was born out of curiosity. I felt a very strong calling from a lot of French African countries, and I would see them at my performances front stage, they'll be singing my songs and they don't speak English, they don't speak pgin, they don't speak any of my native languages. And I just thought, why don't I do something that is even extra dear to them, sing in their language and just show them that I truly heart them. And that's where my curiosity and my desire to start translating my music started. And from there I went on to Swahili, to Portuguese. And I don't necessarily have to speak a language completely because me as a musician, I have certain songs on my playlist that I don't know what the person is singing, but I can feel what they're singing. And it's that emotion, that connection that led me to want to translate some of my songs to other languages so that I can connect truly and wholeheartedly with people that love my music.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

You're listening to the interview from the BBC World Service.

[Ashley Kineti]

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[Podcast Advertiser]

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[Nkechi Okwonna]

Speaking to Yemi Alade, Nigerian singer and songwriter. Really felt like gisting or catching up with my girls back home in Nigeria. And yes, you guessed right, I am also Nigerian but presenting Focus on Africa from the Nairobi Bureau. First off, we coincidentally wore matching outfits which was wild, unexpected, and indeed set the tone of the conversation. This over one hour chat didn't feel like time had been spent in the studio. Above all were the nuances of a typical Nigerian conversation, which involves certain exclamations, side jokes, pidgin language and slangs. Okay, so let's return to my conversation with Yemi Alade. How are you able to stay relevant all these years? First of all, I've heard a few fans say, you know what, this is our new Mama Africa. You've taken up like the Mama Africa perspective Persona. Is that how you still stay relevant? Or it goes beyond the names that fans have come up with.

[Yemi Alade]

That is an everyday job. And I feel like because my focus is not just to stay relevant, it's just to be me. So I'm just continuously being myself. I'm a creative at heart and creation is my actual job. And so I'm just doing me and getting by.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Speaking of staying relevant, you've just got launched the Yem Beauty line last year, under a year now. A lot of artists say, you know what, you need to diversify beyond music because you may 10 years down the line, you may not be active anymore. Is that something that jolted you into saying, you know what, I need to diversify as well?

[Yemi Alade]

It's an idea that I had been working on for over four years.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Oh, wow.

[Yemi Alade]

Yes. I had been working on it for six so long. And I felt like if I didn't put this product out, I probably never would, you know, because there's always this need to be perfect, to have everything all planned. But then I remind myself that in the beginning of my actual career, did I know what was gonna happen the next step of the way? I just went with the flow. And so I started off with Yen Beauty with a range of lipsticks. It's a matte, long lasting lipstick and lip gloss collection. And by the end of the year, we intend to expand to add on more products there.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

But you see, you've succeeded in a space as a woman where first of all, the entertainment industry. I've spoken to a few female performers or creatives and they say it's very hard for women, but you're doing it. How are you able to do it?

[Yemi Alade]

Which space is easy for women? There is an unwritten rule that we have to work double the time, double the hours, and put in double the effort to rise above all possible doubts. And these are rules that were not written anywhere. It's just in the atmosphere. It's as if the systems of the world are structured In a way that it limits the woman and makes the woman to push herself beyond her own boundaries just to prove one point. And then now you say, but I'm doing it. And I think that is the secret that even when as a woman, you find yourself in a world that seems to be against you, you just have to do it irrespective. And most don't wait for them to give it to you. Earn it, take it. Break down the walls, break down the doors, take what's yours. Because what's truly yours might be delayed, but cannot be denied.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

But do you feel it's getting easier for women now on the continent?

[Yemi Alade]

People are just a little more accepting. And women need to continue coming out in their thousands and millions to continue to push the envelope, to continue to take and conquer and occupy space. The more we occupy space and the more we remember that we should also open the door for the woman next to us, we will continue to continue to better ourselves.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Another thing a lot of female creatives have spoken about is very unequal benefits. So, for instance, you and a fellow artist were called to perform at a certain event, but you get paid less than your male counterpart. Why is that still a thing? Till now?

[Yemi Alade]

It's the unwritten rules I just told you about. It's not written in any book, but for some reason, these laws just apply that it's important for a woman to earn less. I love our culture and I love our tradition, but somehow it also sipped into our systems where the woman is seen as like a second citizen rather than a first citizen, you know? And so it's almost like an ego boost to know that you can give a guy higher pay than a woman? Just like mental is like, oh, it's normal now.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

This is the balance.

[Yemi Alade]

Why would I give you? Why would I give this guy 10 naira? And I'll give this girl 10 naira, right? Or give her 20 naira for what she has to prove herself.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

How are you able to demand your worth? Because some women are just looking for that opportunity to that young woman who's listening to you and saying, you know what? This is my daily struggle. How are you able to demand what your worth is?

[Yemi Alade]

You have mouth. Demand. No, you use your mouth and you say what you want, and while you're doing it, back it up with your work. Demand. Ask, and it shall be given.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

And personally, are there certain obstacles that you say you have faced that have shaken you and you're like, you know what? I'm not even sure this music I'm meant to do it. Maybe I'm meant to be a teacher or something. Has there been that incident? That has been like a huge challenge.

[Yemi Alade]

I feel like if there's anything that's made me feel like I wanted to take a break, I think it'll be more of like internal tiredness. Because the industry takes over a lot from her contributors. That's the creative especially. We're in this world where we don't only make music now, we're now tiktokers.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Speaking of that, I see you cooking these days. I'm like, she's in the kitchen. Okay. She's not in the studio. She's not in the studio. She's in the kitchen. I'm like, okay, you just took your song. I will get you later.

[Yemi Alade]

Don't worry. But you know all now cook now.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

You're still mixing something.

[Yemi Alade]

Yeah.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Speaking of structures, because a few artists who I've spoken to have said, you know what? There is no structure. The enabling environment is not there. This is an industry that is powering itself. So is there something that African governments are not doing right?

[Yemi Alade]

In the past, one of our biggest problems was piracy. As creatives, our creations are our legacies. They are our bread and butter. And sometimes there are some people who only get one stroke of genius for their entire life. But we are robbed of that in Africa because we don't have systems that protect the artist, preserve the artistry, and elongated longevity. So we tend to have artists who are big for a period of time and then they disappear. But they're alive. What happens to their work? Their work has been pirated. There's plagiarism everywhere. And then there is no way to even fight the corrupt system that is eating the rot. Because we don't have a government that sees. Sees the value in our almost intangible industry.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

How is the identity of a passport a barrier or an entry into. I'm entering uncomfortable zones. But yeah, how would you say that is impacting people like you and your ability to do what you love to do? Especially young, up and coming artists who may not necessarily have that clout to break into certain markets.

[Yemi Alade]

I feel like the struggle and stigma of the green Nigerian passport has been passed on from generation to generation. And in my generation, I also have to face the bias that I did not have any hand in to be on a queue at immigration with other nationals. And you see other nationals going through immigration easily until your green passport comes up and then the official sits up. Suddenly now work has started, you know, because you are coming with a Nigerian Passport. And they want to know why you are here, what you're looking is going to be there. And at some point they even say you don't even look like your picture. Go to the back. We need to do more information.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Yes. Have you experienced that? Oh, yes, I have.

[Yemi Alade]

Because I travel a lot. They're like, why did you land in London today and you're going to Paris tomorrow? I'm going to come back to London tomorrow. You are up to something. Get the customs. Unfortunately for you, the customs is a fan of me. So he knows that this girl is on tour. What you talking about? You know, but like the stigma of just having an African passport, specifically a Nigerian passport, it precedes itself myself. And I find myself fighting battles that I did not start. I've always had this dream where Africans didn't need to pay for any visa to go to any fellow African countries. And it's not just the idea of it that I like. It is the endless possibilities that we will be opening to ourselves as an economy. We will be able to better our economies, increase inter African trade between African countries. I feel like that's something that is lacking because why should I be trying to do business in Nigeria with an East African company? And we're talking dollars. We are the motherland. We have the value, the actual value.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Okay, so Yabi, I want to take you through a very quick fire round. Okay? So very short answers. One word. If you prefer, talk to me. 1. Who's still on your musical wish list when it comes to collaborations? African original or global? Whichever.

[Yemi Alade]

Bruno Mars.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Three African artists everyone should listen to, obviously.

[Yemi Alade]

Obviously.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Okay, one stereotype about Africa you're tired of hearing.

[Yemi Alade]

Oh, you mean you have lions in the streets?

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Yo, Simba, is that you? Rafiki, Duh. I know, right? If you weren't a musician, what would you be?

[Yemi Alade]

I will be working in the aviation sector.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

I wanted to say air hostess, perhaps. I really wanted.

[Yemi Alade]

But not a pilot. But perhaps, perhaps. It's very possible that my two legs would have led me there.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

One African meal you would never say no to.

[Yemi Alade]

Afang soup. Afang soup. Ah, can I say two? Afanga? Oh, please. What are you talking about?

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Okay, what are you about? Talking. Talking about and the biggest myth about success.

[Yemi Alade]

When you're successful, it becomes easier. That's a big lie. Harder than it ever was.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Before I let you go. You mentioned something about the girl child. You're very passionate about the girl child. Now I want you to just imagine for a second that there is a young 19, 20 year old girl who says, you know what? I love music. There's this burning desire to launch out and do what I love to do. I think this is what I was created for. But sadly, her environment would not let her thrive in that space. As a woman, what would you say to her? Wow.

[Yemi Alade]

I would say to a certain young girl out there, teenager, who has the dreams of becoming a super mega star in the music industry, yet confronted by the disadvantages of her environment, I would say to her that the beautiful thing about dreams when they meet action is that there's nothing that can stop them. Continuous action gives results. A lot of things will come your way. What's important is that you continue to deliver action after action because inaction is the only thing that can be detrimental to your dreams. Having a dream is really crazy because normally you're supposed to be in your sleep while dreaming, right? But the minute you take that dream and you bring it to reality, that's where the work starts. If you believe you have the backbone for this, get up and start working towards it. We human beings, we like to focus too much on disadvantages because we feel we know a lot. Oh, this is against me. That's against me. That's against me. You spend your entire day labeling and pointing out the things that are against you, forgetting that if only you put that aside and focus on what you have, the sky is your starting point.

[Nkechi Okwonna]

Thank you for listening to the interview. If you enjoyed this conversation, you can find many more episodes of the interview wherever you get your BBC podcast, including ones with Google, Zuma Nkube and Thuli Zuma, executive producers of South Africa's Netflix hit show the Polygamist. Until next time. Time. Bye for now.

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