September 15th, 2025
The Nigerian singer and songwriter, Seyi Shay has disclosed that the passing away of Sound Sultan whom she addressed as her mentor deeply affected her music career and personal journey.
The Crazy crooner made this known in an interview with TVC, where she described Sound Sultan, who passed away in 2021 after battling angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, as a father figure who played a pivotal role in her career.
Seyi said, ‘She said, “During the filming of Nigerian Idol, my mentor, also my best friend, who is like a father figure to me, and also the person who brought me to the Nigerian music industry, died. He passed away; Sound Sultan.
“When I first came to Nigeria, I was living with him and his wife in FESTAC for a year. He was the one who co-signed me and introduced me to everybody in the industry to make sure that those who were his people look out for me.
“So, when he passed away, it was really hard for me to complete the filming but I made it to the end. What hurt the most is that I didn’t get to see him before he passed away. I was supposed to fly to see him in New York that weekend when we had a break. He asked me to bring him something specifically. It just torn me apart. I felt like I didn’t have the will to continue to do music without Sound Sultan, my peace of mind, and my mental health. So, I decided to go on a little break.
“Also, during that period, I got pregnant and I told myself there’s no way I’m going to have my child in the toxic music industry that I’m in and under the scrutiny that I was constantly under. So, I just thought I should take a break.”