Temmie Ovwasa, a Nigerian singer formerly known as YBNL Princess, has opened up about the negative impact of publicly revealing her sexuality as a lesbian on her career.
During the latest episode of the Doyin’s Corner podcast hosted by former Big Brother Naija housemate Doyinsola David, the self-proclaimed queer artist shared that her decision to come out had adverse effects on her professional life. She stated that after revealing her sexuality, many people blacklisted her, which hindered her career opportunities.
Temmie recounted an incident where someone she was working with advised her to get a boyfriend to cover up her sexuality rumors. However, she expressed her unwillingness to play such a game, as she believed it would compromise her authenticity. She acknowledged that coming out as gay was seen as career suicide, particularly in the mainstream industry, where being openly LGBTQ+ can result in exclusion and limited opportunities. Despite being aware of the consequences, she made a deliberate choice to be true to herself.
Temmie Ovwasa gained prominence in 2015 as the first female signee of the YBNL record label. She departed from the label in 2020 following a fallout with rapper Olamide, the label’s boss. In the same year, she released Nigeria’s first openly gay album titled ‘E be like say dem swear for me’.
