Nigerian music star Korede Bello has responded to fans wondering incessantly about his seeming inactivity on the music scene.

Some years ago, the Afrobeats singer was one of the hottest in Africa, signed to Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records, singing hits like Godwin and Romantic, to name a few.

Since leaving the label in 2021, after joining it in 2014, he appears to have stepped beyond the limelight. He told Hip TV he left the label because he felt as though he was a product at a point, making profit for his management, while he chased hit after hit.

In a poignant message on Instagram, he comforted his fans he was active but had overhauled his outlook.

“Whenever I hear or see comments like ‘Where have you been?’ I’m always usually kind of surprised. Why? Because I’ve been here all along, with me, myself and I. I’m grateful that I don’t have to ask myself ‘Korede, where are you?’ For it is better for the world to ask ‘Where have you been’ than for you to ask yourself ‘Who am I…. where am I?’,” he said.

The singer-songwriter, 29, said fame and riches could not answer the deepest questions of one’s heart. He noted he was enjoying a comforting solitude which has deepened his rediscovery.  

“Don’t you know that you can be extremely rich and famous but lost inside your mind? I have come to realize that the more you connect with yourself the less the world connects with you. You think different, you act different because you are different. They might even say ‘Who do you think you are?’ But this hero’s journey is so necessary because you cannot truly stand out until you stand out and become outstanding,” he said.

Korede Bello's latest release is called Tiny Drops, from February 27, 2025.