Innocent Idibia, the Nigerian singer better known as 2Baba, has opened up about the double-edged sword that is his iconic 2004 hit ‘African Queen’.
While acknowledging the song as a monumental blessing that propelled his career to international fame, he also described it as a significant burden.
During an interview on the Entertainment and Lifestyle show, the singer expressed that the track’s overwhelming and enduring success has often cast a long shadow over his extensive body of work.
The 50-year-old clarified that while he is profoundly grateful for the song’s impact, it frequently overshadows the deep connection fans have with his other music.
“‘African Queen’ has been a huge blessing, but it also became a bit of a problem for me. I’m grateful for everything, though,” he said.
“I have so many other songs that are just as good and that people connect with. In fact, there are many who love my other songs even more than ‘African Queen.”
This is not the first time the singer has characterised the song this way.
In 2022, he similarly referred to ‘African Queen’ as a “blessing and a curse,” noting that its success became the definitive yardstick against which all his subsequent work was measured.
He added that no matter what, the hit would always overshadow his other songs in terms of popularity.
Recently, ‘African Queen’ was named the best Afrobeats song of all time by Billboard.
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