Nigerian singer Iyanya Onoyom Mbuk, popularly known as Iyanya, has revealed that he is not considering a serious romantic relationship or marriage at this stage of his life.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Afropolitan podcast, the “Kukere” crooner explained that emotional readiness remains a major challenge for him, adding that he may only end up with someone willing to accept his current boundaries.
Iyanya attributed his stance to painful experiences with past relationships, where misunderstandings often escalated into threats to damage his public image.
According to the singer, those encounters left him emotionally scarred and led him to choose celibacy, as committing to a relationship has become difficult for him.
“I’m not thinking about a serious relationship or marriage right now because I’m not mentally ready,” he said. “If someone is patient enough to stay until I get to a better place, then maybe we can take things forward.”
He further admitted that commitment is currently one of the hardest things for him, noting that repeated heartbreaks over the years have taken a toll.
“As a celebrity, I’ve been committed several times, and each time I ended up hurt,” Iyanya explained. “When you’re famous, some partners are quick to run to blogs whenever there’s an issue.”
The singer stressed that despite public perception, he is human and capable of genuine emotions.
“I’ve been in the music industry for 17 years—it’s not like I’ve just been playing games with women,” he said. “I’ve truly fallen in love before, but being threatened with public exposure during disagreements happened repeatedly, and that’s what caused my commitment issues.”