Rotimi says he got into acting by “the grace of God” after struggling to find a breakthrough in music.

In an interview with CNN’s African Voices Changemakers, the Nigerian-American singer spoke about his unexpected rise to fame and the personal journey he shares with Vanessa Mdee, his wife, who is a Tanzanian singer.

Rotimi told CNN’s Larry Madowo that his first acting role came at a time when he was a “struggling artiste” in Chicago with no experience.

“I was a struggling artiste who was big in Chicago for music but had no money,” he said.

“And then my manager at the time was like, listen, man, you’re a real natural in front of a camera. Why don’t you just go try to get a commercial?

“I had no resume, so no acting coach or anybody in Chicago wanted to take me, and I got in by the grace of God.”

This led to his breakout role in the political drama ‘Boss’, starring alongside Kelsey Grammer. Since then, Rotimi has landed other major acting roles, but he insists that music remains his “real passion”.

“Love Somebody is probably my favourite song that I have done,” he said.

“If you even just go look at the lyrics, it’s a conversation that God is having with you to remind you that everything that you want is right there, that love is that simple.”

In 2024, Rotimi released a double album titled ‘In My Heart In My Veins’, a collection of Afrobeats and R&B.

“You get two sides of who I am,” he explained.

“We literally gave a double album so that you have a whole list of songs here that are Afrobeats and a whole R&B side.”

Rotimi, who was getting set for a 30-city tour in April, revealed that he was forced to postpone the tour due to medical advice concerning his throat.

“For me, it’s just wanting to see the fans, wanting to prove to myself,” he said.

“A lot of people can’t tour 30 cities and for me to not be able to because of something I really can’t control, it’s hard. You just have to now put more faith in God, that there’s a reason for this.”

The singer said he is now more focused on living purposefully.

“I used to say I want this in five years,” he said.

“I used to profess it and then I realised, who am I? Whatever it’s supposed to be, I just wanna be happy and full of joy.”

Rotimi has also starred in other films like ‘Power’, ‘Divergent’, ‘Black Nativity’, and ‘Battle Creek’.

50 Cent, an American rapper, signed Rotimi to G-Unit Records, his music label, in 2015.