Afrobeats sensation Fireboy DML has opened up about his humble beginnings and the financial hurdles he faced before landing his life-changing record deal with Olamide’s YBNL Nation.

Speaking about his pre-fame struggles, the hitmaker revealed that he came close to venturing into petty trading on the streets of Lagos just to survive.

"I was considering selling rechargeable lamps before Olamide signed me. I met one guy under Ajah bridge and he was telling me about the business, and I was like it's better than selling pepper soup, isn't it? To me at the time, it was more dignifying," he recalled.

Comparing the option to running a local roadside food joint, the singer explained why hawking electronics felt like a calmer, more respectable route.

"Because selling rechargeable lamps is one thing, but selling pepper soup is crazy. It was calm, it was like a roadside joint just by the road," he said.

The decision ultimately paid off, as his signing to YBNL shortly after propelled him from the brink of street hawking to global stardom.

“Before Olamide signed me, I was considering selling rechargeable lamps at Obadore Street in Ajah.” — Singer Fireboy DML pic.twitter.com/HDJxw5IGur

— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) August 27, 2026