Guchi: How my mum suffered memory loss after accident

Guchi, the fast-rising Nigerian singer, has recalled a devastating accident that affected her mother’s memory.

In a recent interview on the ‘WithChude’ podcast, the songstress revealed the incident occurred years ago after she finished secondary school.

The ‘Jennifer’ hitmaker said her mother, once fluent in multiple languages, including English, Hausa, and a bit of Spanish, suffered significant memory loss.

Guchi said her mother could not recognise her or her siblings. She, however, added that her mother is now recovering, and her condition has improved significantly.

“There is a story I do not like to always talk about. Some years ago, we had an accident. And it affected my mum’s memory. So, during the whole healing process, she did not even know if I was in school. It is what I tell her that she gets to believe. So that process was just me doing the right thing. It was just me doing what I knew what my mum would see me do,” she said.

“That was a challenging time in my life. Because I had just finished secondary school, I have two younger brothers. I did not want to be what people wanted me to be.

“My mum was this person that could speak English very well. She understands Hausa and she was trying to learn Spanish. She was very strong and very pretty. And then, I could see my mum from this woman into being entirely something else. She could not recognise me or anybody else. She could not even speak English. She was like a baby that was learning all over again. She needed all the love and attention she could get. She was even more frustrated because in as much as she could not remember anything one thing she could remember was being independent and she could take care of us.

“Whenever she sees that there is no food in the house, she is angry, even though she cannot express herself to us. I knew I had to work hard not to see my mum in this situation.

”I am so grateful to God for everything I prayed for years ago. My mum is very comfortable now. She calls me in as much as she is still recovering at least she is a lot better than how she was before.”

Guchi was born Ugochi Lydia Onuoha in 1997. She began her music career in 2012 and became popular after releasing her 2021 single ‘Jennifer’.

She has released numerous hit songs including ‘Blood Tonic’, ‘All Over You’ and ‘Notice Me’.

Although her family is from Mbaise in Imo, Guchi was born in Kaduna. She, however, grew up in Abuja.

In August 2023, Guchi spoke about how TikTok has helped to amplify her music.