Tanzanian songbird Vanessa Mdee has disclosed that she almost quit making music when she got arrested last year.
The ‘Cash Madame’ singer, who is highly revered in Kenya, has been in the country promoting her new album- Money Mondays. While the album’s launch has been a success, bringing it together was challenging for the singer.
Speaking with Kiss FM’s Adelle and Shaffie, the singer revealed that her arrest last year was one of the main challenges. She was arrested in March on suspicion of trafficking drugs as the Tanzanian government stepped up its fight against drug abuse.
Vanessa Mdee went on to spend seven days in jail, during which time she contemplated quitting music out of frustrations.
“So last year, I got into a little situation where I was remanded for an accusation. At some point I was like it’s funny when a woman is successful or is deemed an achiever, it has to be attached to something that’s negative. I don’t understand why people thought I wasn’t doing legit music or I was dealing in other things. It broke my heart a little bit. I didn’t’ go to the studio for a while after. I was like what is it for? All this hustling and then someone comes and tells you aah!! Wewe ni mkora. I was in jail for seven straight days,” she opened up.
Asked if she ever thought about scrapping off the album, Vanessa said, “I was having a conversation with Walshy Fire( of Major Lazer) one time when we were doing a project for Major Lazer and he said, ‘why are you doing an album?’
“Literally that’s what he said to me and I was dead shocked. But he comes from an industry where singles are what’s doing best. But for me, it was because I wanted it to be something that I did, that I’ve done, that I’ve successfully completed as an artiste and I successfully did it on my own. And then I was in a little situation and I didn’t want to do the album anymore. I was like this stuff is hard.”
