The singer, songwriter, and record producer Naira Marley has admitted that he might have chosen to play football instead of music.
As a kid growing up in London, England, Naira Marley recalled playing for the Arsenal youth, Millwall, and Charlton teams. He added that he could have become a footballer instead.
Naira Marley claimed that his upbringing led him to adopt Nigerian culture wherever he could. He was describing his early years in the UK before moving back to his country.
In a Lagos interview with Cool FM Nigeria, the artist talked about how his father influenced the development of his Yoruba language when he was a young child.
He said, “What made it easy for me (to blend with Nigerian street music) is that I grew up in South-East London, Peckham to be precise. That is like small Lagos, you know what I mean?
“And all my life in England, my dad banned speaking English in the house. So, we had to speak Yoruba and all these Yoruba stuff. I still listen to Fuji. We eat African foods. Even though I’m in England, it was like I’m still in Nigeria. Yeah, it was easy for me. When I came back (to Nigeria), people didn’t really know I came from London.
“I could have been a footballer too, i used to play for Arsenal Youth, Millwall, Charlton.”