Nigerian singer Ruger, whose real name is Michael Adebayo Olayinka, has shared a deeply personal story about his first heartbreak, which occurred when he was just six years old. In a recent appearance on The Bro Bants show, the artist, known for his hit song “Toma Toma,” recounted how he was traumatised after witnessing an older woman, who had playfully called him her “boyfriend,” involved with another man.
Ruger explained that his heartbreak stemmed from seeing the woman, whom he had thought of as his partner, in an intimate situation with another man through a window. The traumatic experience left him in tears and marked the beginning of what he described as his “toxicity” as he grew older.
He shared, “The last time that I experienced heartbreak, I was very very young. There was this aunty that I liked, she used to call me ‘my boyfriend.’ So, I assumed that she was my woman. I was just 6 years old. I got heartbroken because one day, I saw some guy smashing her through her window. The guy was tearing her up, bro. I cried. I was traumatised. I started singing ‘Imagine That’ by Styl-Plus. That was what started my toxicity. That experience broke my heart.”
Ruger’s vulnerable admission reflects how formative experiences, even those from early childhood, can have a profound impact on one’s emotional development.
