Singer Flavour opens up on how he battled an addiction for years and had to seek spiritual help

• Singer Flavour has opened up about his past struggle with masturbation, revealing that the addiction began after he lost contact with the woman he lost his virginity to

• The highlife star disclosed that he first sought help from his mother's pastor through prayers and fasting, but relapsed before later confiding in an older member of his band.

• According to Flavour, advice from a veteran Cameroonian bassist eventually helped him overcome the two-year struggle

The highlife star, whose real name is Chinedu Okoli, made the revelation during a candid TikTok Live session with fans and friends, where he reflected on his early sexual experiences and the challenges that followed.

According to Flavour, losing his virginity at the age of 24 had a significant impact on his sexual life, especially after he lost contact with the woman involved.

“After getting disvirgined at 24, I began to look for the girl that disvirgined me, but at that time, there was no phone. She gave me her email, so I was going to the Cyber Café to email her back and forth. There was no response, so I gave up, and I had never had a girlfriend at the time aside from a normal childhood crush, and nothing happened between us.”

The singer said the lack of communication with his first sexual partner left him struggling to cope, and that led him to confide in one of his friends.

“I opened up to one of my street guys that the issue is giving me trouble. The guy then told me about Makoupa (a traditional African twerking dance adult content).

"I then went to get the Mapouka CDs. Once everyone had slept in the house, I would watch it prepared. I even used Morning Fresh soap sometimes.”

Flavour admitted that the period remains one of the lowest points in his life and said he eventually sought spiritual help because he was overwhelmed by shame.

“I did it to the point I didn’t have strength. I was so ashamed and needed to talk to someone. I was looking for someone to talk to because it is not something you can go to your dad or mum to talk about.

“So, I went to see my mother’s pastor and waited for every other person to leave. I entered and opened up to him that I had an issue and had been looking for someone to talk to, and my spirit led me to him.”

The singer explained that although his pastor gave him prayer points, Bible verses and a 21-day spiritual exercise, he relapsed within days after attending a show.

“So I explained everything, and he gave me some prayer points and Bible verses I had to read every day. He gave me verses I had to read for 21 days. Then, I started fasting and all; it wasn’t even up to the weekend. That weekend I had a show, and the moment I started seeing girls' shapes as I was mounting the stage, I entered the toilet.”

Flavour said he later confided in an older Cameroonian member of his band, who advised him differently.

“It was back to square one. Finally, I mustered the courage and approached one of our Cameroonian band members, an elderly bassist. I opened up to him that the thing had been disturbing me for a long time, and he asked me how long I had been doing it, and I said two years consecutively.

“The bassist then told me the only reason I was caught in it is that I don’t have regular sex with a woman. He stated that seeing the girls at that age, I had to start engaging. 

After the whole thing, the man then took me to a brothel because it was difficult to find women, and that’s how the asewo (prostitute) was born.

“Every week from the money I was sprayed, the man would remove some money to deposit. So, after we finish performing, I go knack. Since I started, masturbation stopped.”

Flavour rose to national prominence with Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix), a 2010 hit that became one of Nigeria's biggest highlife songs. While the track's lyrics explored themes of romance and sexuality, the singer has now shared the personal experiences that shaped his understanding of intimacy long before his rise to fame.