Nigerian singer Oludipe David, popularly known as Spyro, has opened up about painful childhood experiences and his strained relationship with his father, revealing how unresolved trauma from his upbringing continues to affect him.
Speaking candidly about his early life, the singer detailed the severe corporal punishment he faced as a child, noting that he still carries physical and emotional marks over two decades later. He explained that attempting to revisit these experiences with his father often proves difficult, as his father dismisses the incidents while the memories remain vivid in his mind.
“My dad would beat you to kill you. I’ll have marks from twenty-something years ago. When you try to bring up the conversation, there are things still very clear in my head, and he acts like it’s nothing.”
Spyro acknowledged that being in his father’s presence can still trigger underlying feelings of anger, forcing him to navigate the healing process independently. He emphasized that genuine reconciliation requires openly discussing past grievances rather than ignoring the damage done.
The artist also recounted instances where his father publicly accused him of theft whenever money went missing at home, painting a negative image of him to relatives and outsiders despite his father being a pastor. He noted that after being falsely accused and embarrassed, his father would sometimes offer gifts like milk once the missing items were found, which did little to mend the psychological impact.
“He will embarrass me, and when he eventually finds what he is looking for, he will buy you milk. What is milk supposed to do to the damage that has been done?”
Recalling a particularly traumatic primary school incident involving a cleaner named Iya Romoke, Spyro described coming home with a head injury caused by the woman’s long fingernails. When he reported the incident, his father doubted his story and took him back to the school the following morning. Intimidated by the adult cleaner, young Spyro pulled back, which his father interpreted as a sign of lying. After the cleaner denied the claim, Spyro was subjected to severe flogging upon returning home, an event he says deeply broke him emotionally.
Spyro credited his mother’s love and constant support for providing the balance needed to navigate those difficult years and preventing him from being completely consumed by the trauma.
