I Was On Medication, Hospitalised – Ycee Opens Up On Battle With Mental Health

Nigerian musician and rapper Ycee has disclosed his difficulties with a mental health issue.

He stated that in 2020, during the lockdown caused by COVID-19 while he was residing in London, he received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

As reported by Naija News, the 33-year-old artist shared this information in a recent livestream conversation with Carter Efe.

Known by his birth name, Oludemilade Martin Alejo, the rapper mentioned that he was diagnosed at a time when his knowledge about mental health was minimal, and he had to manage his treatment and recovery far from home.

"In 2020, I was diagnosed with a mental health issue, and that was during the lockdown. I was in London, quite deep in the lockdown. I had multiple hospital visits for approximately three months," he recounted.

Ycee described having to leave the UK due to visa limitations and return to Lagos, where he continued his therapy.

"Prior to 2020, I never spoke about mental health. Returning to Lagos and engaging with the mental health system here has taken a very lengthy six years," he remarked.

The musician explained that this time included taking medication, attending therapy, and frequent hospital stays as he tried to handle the condition.

"I was on medication and was hospitalized numerous times. I was undergoing therapy. There were many challenges. At times, things felt better, but there were also times when it got really bleak," he added.

Ycee also disclosed that this illness greatly impacted his artistic abilities and led to his extended absence from the music scene.

Reflecting on that time, he indicated that his last project, “Love Drunk,” which came out in 2021, did not receive the promotion he normally would have provided due to his mental state at that moment.

"My last work was in 2021, ‘Love Drunk,’ but I didn’t put in enough effort to promote it because of my mental condition. The last single I dropped in 2022 also faced similar challenges; so much was happening," he shared.

The rapper addressed the difficulties he faced while adapting to life following the diagnosis, expressing that he spent years trying to reconnect with the person he was before the illness changed his life path.

"The last four years were mainly about rediscovering who I used to be; however, I ultimately realized that the former self might not return, so I needed to move forward. By the end of 2024, things began to improve, and I started feeling more like my true self," he noted.

He mentioned that the most challenging part of his experience was how it hindered his ability to create music, something he had always found effortless.

"The most challenging aspect of my experience was its effect on my creativity. Making music has always come easily to me. I would be in songwriting sessions, but my mind felt completely unclear," he expressed.
When prompted to specify the illness he had been fighting, the artist replied: “Bipolar disorder.”