Afrobeats star Yemi Alade has spoken candidly about the sexual harassment she endured in the early stages of her career, revealing how predatory behaviour from industry gatekeepers nearly pushed her out of music.
Speaking on the Swift Conversations podcast, which was aired on Friday, the energetic musician said harassment was “rampant” when she was an emerging artiste, often coming from older male executives who used their positions of power to make inappropriate demands during meetings, studio sessions and contract discussions.
She recounted several disturbing encounters, including an incident where a managing director ran his hand up her thigh under a meeting table while speaking calmly about her career prospects. She said moments like that left her shaken and questioning whether the music industry was worth the trauma.
Alade explained that she survived those experiences through “courage, boundaries and a refusal to compromise”—crediting her resilience and a supportive team for helping her navigate an industry culture that often preys on young women.
She added that sexual harassment remains a widespread problem in the entertainment space and urged emerging artistes, especially women, to protect themselves and speak out when confronted with inappropriate behaviour.
Yemi Alade said, “In those beginning days, all I thought I needed was just my talent because that’s what I have. I didn’t have a bank account full of money I could use to sponsor myself.
“I just had a talent and a zeal and a promise that I made to myself and a promise I believed God made to me. So, I always tried to show up. I was told that I needed to work harder, and so I worked harder, and it wasn’t enough. There were doors I needed to walk up to, and when I walked up to the doors, they didn’t want my talent; they wanted something else.
“Many times, from business meetings to studio sessions to even winning certain awards, you meet maybe the managing director or any other executive, and they are trying to rub your thighs under the table. And I was just a teen. My grandpa is rubbing my legs, and I can’t speak because I’m in shock.
“We are having an actual business meeting. Why are you rubbing my thighs? I had to speak to myself and decided if music was what I wanted to do because the sexual harassment was becoming too rampant. But something in me told me to keep pushing my talent. So, I still showed up. If door was left open for me, I would walk in. If it was shut in my face, I would walk away.”
