Nigerian musical act, Simi who has gathered recognition for herself through relentless work and talent has in a recent interview with Punch revealed why she switched from gospel to secular music.

She also talked about her rumoured relationship with rapper, Falzthebahdguy.

Read excerpts from the chat below:

Have you always wanted to do music?

I didn’t grow up around a lot of music because my parents aren’t music inclined. I wrote my first song when I was 10 years old. I have a very short attention span and it is one of the reasons why I experiment a lot with my music. My parents separated when I was nine years old, so I did not spend so much time with my dad; he died in 2014. My parents were quite supportive of my career at first. After I bagged a degree in Mass Communication, from Covenant University, my mother wanted me to get some job experience by working with an oil firm. I have always been of the opinion that its impossible to do music part-time, so I asked her to pray for the success of my music career.

Apart from music, what other things are you talented at?

I am also a sound engineer, so I mix and master music.This a major boost to my career because it means that there are a lot of things I can do on my own. It has also proven to a lot of critics that I am not just another artiste.

You began your career as a gospel act. Why did you go mainstream?

The first thing that comes to the mind is that I did it for monetary reasons. However music became about ‘more’; I wanted to have a broader purview. It was a tough decision for me to make at first. I wanted to explore music more. My faith in God hasn’t waivered because before I went mainstream, I prayed to God to bless my career if it was his plan for me. I also don’t see myself doing gospel music again.

Why did you decide to record an entire album with Falz?

We are very good friends and having worked on several projects together, we toyed with the idea of recording a joint album.

What has fame cost you?

I don’t go out much but I love to go to regular places. I can’t do so any longer and I miss having a regular life because I am a regular girl.

Are you currently dating anyone?

I am in a relationship with someone else who is not Falzthebahdguy; we are just friends. My man is mature and understands the fact that I may be erroneously romantically linked with an artiste simply because we work on music projects together.