Nigerian singer Augustine Kelechi, popularly known as Tekno, has opened up about the criticism he faced while battling severe vocal cord damage caused by acid reflux, saying many people wrongly assumed he had become lazy.
The singer recalled that the condition interrupted his music career at the height of his success between 2018 and 2021, forcing him to step away from performing and recording for an extended period.
Speaking in a recent interview with Cool FM Lagos, Tekno said he kept his health struggles private, including from members of his team, which led many around him to misunderstand his absence from the music scene.
According to him, the lack of awareness about his condition resulted in accusations that he was unwilling to work or perform.
“Even the people closest to me were saying, ‘He is just lazy. He doesn’t want to perform,’” he said. “I was in a very dark place.”
Tekno revealed that even after recovering physically, he struggled emotionally and temporarily lost his passion for music.
“After I recovered, I hated music. I didn’t want to hear music for a long time. I was only forcing myself to do music because I had a deal with Universal,” he added.
The Afrobeats star said he eventually found emotional healing through reading inspirational books, a process that helped him reconnect with music and rebuild his career.
