Nigerian singer and son of billionaire industrialist Razaq Okoya, Raheem, has taken to social media to announce his “professional exit” from the music industry.
Raheem, professionally known as Sir Raheem, made the announcement in an Instagram post on Wednesday, where he said he always believed in giving his best but no longer feels he can give music the “effort, patience, and dedication it truly deserves.”
“Over the past couple of years, my musical journey has truly been a magical one; we’ve shut down the internet again and again, performed at the craziest live shows, lived through nights I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. I never imagined I’d one day be recognised by the very artists I grew up admiring,” he wrote.
“To you, I owe that, and I’m grateful beyond words. My career began simply; music was a hobby I made with my boys to bond and connect before it was anything else.
“Over the past year, holding that alongside my other commitments has grown harder. I’ve always believed in giving everything my best, and I no longer feel I can give this craft the effort, patience, and dedication it truly deserves.
“So I owe it to my true fans, and to my colleagues in this industry, a professional exit. I have decided to stop putting out new music.”
He said while the “Siraheem music” era may be coming to an end, he plans to explore other creative fields and return with new ventures.
“The best of me is yet to come. Music still remains therapeutic for me. With time, maybe the album finds its way into the world somehow after all. This past year, we’ve been locked in, and I believe I’m sitting on the best material of my career; it will be a shame to never share it.”
Raheem is the executive director of Eleganza Industrial City Limited, the company owned by his father.