Bella Shmurda Recalls Stealing Bicycle To Fund Music Career

Nigerian singer Bella Shmurda has opened up about one of the painful chapters of his journey to musical success, recalling how he once stole a neighbour’s son’s bicycle and sold it to raise money for a studio session.

The singer, whose real name is Abiola Ahmed Akinbiyi, made the revelation during an interview on Echo Room TV, where he reflected on his struggles before fame.

According to Bella, the incident happened while he was living in Okoko, Lagos, at a time when he was determined to pursue music but struggled to raise money for recording sessions.

He said he took the boy’s bicycle at night, hid it and later sold it at Alaba Market for N7,000.

“When we lived in Okoko, I once stole a boy’s bicycle and sold it at Alaba for N7,000 to pay for studio sessions,” he said.

Bella admitted that the incident remained painful for him, even after his career took off.

However, he said he eventually found the boy and bought him a new bicycle, making an effort to make amends for what he had done.

The resurfaced account has renewed interest in the difficult beginnings of the singer, whose rise from the streets of Lagos to becoming one of Nigeria’s prominent street-pop acts has often been reflected in his music and interviews.

Bella rose to prominence in 2019 after his song Vision 2020 attracted the attention of rapper Olamide, who featured on its remix. The collaboration helped propel him into the national spotlight, followed by songs including Cash App and his debut EP, High Tension.

His bicycle story, however, offers a less glamorous picture of the journey behind the success.

For a young artiste trying to keep recording despite financial difficulties, N7,000 represented an opportunity to pay for studio time. But the decision came at the expense of another child’s property, something Bella now describes with regret.

The singer has also previously spoken about the realities of growing up in Okoko and his determination to eventually return to his community as someone who could make a difference. In an earlier interview, he said he wanted his success to benefit the people and environment he came from.

Today, the story stands as an uncomfortable reminder that behind some success stories are choices made under difficult circumstances, choices that may later be viewed differently from a position of success.

For Bella Shmurda, replacing the bicycle may not erase what happened, but it represents an attempt to make peace with a chapter of his past.

And perhaps that is why, years later, the memory still “pains” him.