Afrobeat star Femi Kuti has opened up about the collapse of his first marriage, revealing that his inability to be faithful led to his wife leaving him.

Speaking in an interview with Channels TV, Kuti explained that the marriage, arranged by his wife's father, was a quiet affair from the start.

According to Kuti, he never hid his nature from her.

"The marriage broke up because she did not listen to what I told her from day one; that I will not change. I love women. I love women around me and I cannot be faithful," he said, adding, "No matter how I try, I know I cannot be faithful so I don't deceive myself."

He explained that his rising fame at the time, driven by the success of his hit song "Wanda Wanda" only made things harder for his wife, particularly given how often female journalists and fans surrounded him.

"I think she was finding it very difficult to acclimatize to the fact that journalists were... most of the female people... I think she could not, it was now getting too much for her," he said.

Kuti also acknowledged he may have unintentionally worsened the situation given how young the couple was at the time.

"Maybe subconsciously I was rubbing it in her face without knowing it because don't forget we were kind of still young," he said.

“I told my first wife before we got married that I love women and could never be faithful to just one woman. I only married her so my children could get a British passport.”

—Femi Kuti pic.twitter.com/imZpn78gJv

— carter🌚 (@carter8f) September 8, 2026