My refusal to sleep with music executives is the reason I don't win awards — Yemi Alade

One of Nigeria's biggest female music acts, Yemi Alade, has opened up about facing sexual exploitation from powerful music executives in exchange for opportunities like winning awards.

In a recent interview, the 'Johnny' singer intimated that her refusal to engage in sexual acts with influential industry figures has hindered her recognition and success on some platforms.

"There was a time in the industry when everyone wanted to sleep with me and it was like, ‘Yemi, if you don’t do this, you won’t have that," Yemi Alade revealed.

She further implied that going down "that route" seems almost mandatory to get deals, promotions and even awards on some circuits.

"Going down with men was like a bridge I had to cross to get on some platforms, get some deals and even awards. When I made my decision never to engage in sexual activities for gains, lots of opportunities were automatically blocked for me," the singer said.

Yemi Alade questioned why, despite her massive successes such as being Nigeria’s most subscribed YouTube singer with millions of views, she often gets overlooked by local award shows.

"Ask yourself why Yemi Alade who is the most viewed and most subscribed Nigerian female artiste on YouTube gets almost no recognition from award shows year after year. Even during twitter debates, no one mentions Yemi Alade as one of the biggest female artistes in Nigeria," she remarked.

While she has won several prestigious awards internationally, the 'Ferrari' hitmaker stressed there is a deliberate blocking of her opportunities at home for refusing non-consensual advances.

"They really blocked everything for me. But l’m glad coz l have my dignity, I have my life, l’m making cool cash and above all, I have fans who love me so much...” Yemi Alade said resolutely.