Nigerian singer, Michael Adebayo Olayinka, popularly known as Ruger, has opened up about a deeply personal experience that, according to him, shaped his emotional journey and behaviour as he grew older.

The ‘Toma Toma’ hitmaker revealed that he suffered his first heartbreak at the tender age of six, a moment he described as traumatising and which, he said, contributed to his becoming “toxic” in later years.

Ruger, who made this revelation during a recent episode of The Bro Bants show, recounted how a much older lady, whom he adored as a child, jokingly referred to him as her boyfriend — a gesture he took to heart.

“The last time that I experienced heartbreak, I was very, very young. There was this aunty that I liked, she used to call me ‘my boyfriend.’ So, I assumed that she was my woman. I was just six years old,” he narrated.

However, Ruger said his childhood fantasy was shattered when he unexpectedly witnessed the lady in a compromising situation with another man.

“I got heartbroken because one day, I saw some guy smashing her through her window. The guy was tearing her up, bro. I cried. I was traumatised. I started singing ‘Imagine That’ by Styl-Plus,” the singer said, referencing the 2006 heartbreak anthem by the popular R&B group.

He added, “That was what started my toxicity. That experience broke my heart.”

The singer’s candid revelation sheds light on the often-overlooked emotional impacts of early childhood experiences and how they can influence behaviour well into adulthood.