Nigerian singer Daniel Benson, better known as BNXN, has opened up about why he distanced himself from people he once considered close friends, saying what he discovered about them left him with little choice but to cut ties.

The Afrobeats star spoke during a conversation with Nadeska on Apple Music's The Nadeska Show, released on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, where he discussed the turbulent personal period that eventually shaped his project Still In Charge.

According to him, the falling-out happened in the months following the release of his 16-track second studio album, Captain, in July 2025, which featured artists including Seyi Vibez, Victony, FOLA and the Soweto Gospel Choir.

"Months after I dropped Captain, you know, I had close friends that I had to detach from or kind of sever the relationships mainly because I discovered some things that were just not right," he said.

Without naming the individuals involved or disclosing what exactly he uncovered, BNXN made clear that the decision was about self-preservation.

"It was important that I had to sever those ties because it could have really cost me and my career in the long run," he added, encouraging others to trust their instincts when something feels off in close relationships.

Beyond the personal fallout, BNXN also described a professional struggle that compounded his difficulties at the time.

Despite considering himself among Nigeria's top eight most-streamed artistes, he found himself without management or any support structure.

"Top eight streaming artistes in Nigeria and, you know, at this point I don't have no management, I don't have no team, and it's like, what are you going to do?" he said.

He admitted that maintaining confidence during that period was genuinely difficult, even with professional recognition.

"And then it kicks in, like you said, in the bad days, how do you remind yourself that you're this guy?" he said.

According to BNXN, working through those challenges eventually pushed him to reorganise his career, a process that laid the foundation for his new project.

"I started to restructure, try to get everything in one, in one bit. And that's where the whole process of Still In Charge starts coming up," he said.

BNXN, who previously performed under the name Buju before rebranding in February 2022, did not specify which streaming platform or timeframe supported his top-eight ranking claim.

ID