• Kunmie, shared his personal struggles through music.
• He revealed that music served as a refuge during his darkest moments of loneliness and emotional distress.
• Kunmie posted a video on his X account detailing his experiences and the therapeutic role of music in his life.

Nigerian singer and songwriter Oluwabukunmi Ariyibi, better known by his stage name Kunmie, has opened up about how music helped him navigate one of the darkest times in his life.

In a video shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Kunmie recounted how he found refuge in music during periods of intense loneliness and emotional hardship.

His career took a surprising turn when his song “Arike” unexpectedly went viral on TikTok, quickly climbing to the top of the charts. Despite having a modest fanbase at the time, the song’s success brought him into the spotlight.

Reflecting on his journey, Kunmie expressed deep appreciation for the opportunities music has provided and urged new fans to pay attention to the metaphors and narratives woven into his lyrics.

He highlighted his debut project, “Before We Became Strangers,” as a narrative-driven body of work that tells a complete, emotional story from beginning to end.

She said: “I found music in solitude. I found music at the worst time of my life, such a lonely time, and it was just, for me it was more of a means to escape. You know, the true story of ‘Arike’ gaining traction is, we were in the studio when, you know, we dropped the video on TikTok, and I think I had 200 followers at the time, and you know, I went back to recording, you know, came back, and I saw that video already had like a thousand videos.

“It was so crazy. I called my mom first, and it was very, very, very special for me. I think it’s been a while that a song at that tempo, you know, with that feeling went number one in this country, and that for me is very special.

“For someone new to my music, what I would say you should expect or you should look out for is, I’d say pay attention to the metaphors, pay attention to the story writing. If you listen to Before We Became Strangers, my debut project, you see that from the first song to the last song, it tells one story. Organizing something for you guys very soon, and till I see you guys, God bless”.