“She Called Me Her Boyfriend”: Ruger Opens Up About the Childhood Heartbreak

 

Before the fame, before the hit records, and before the signature eye patch, Nigerian music star Ruger was just a six-year-old boy nursing his first heartbreak and according to him, that innocent but painful moment was the beginning of his so-called “toxic” traits.

In a revealing episode of the Bro Bants Podcast, the Asiwaju crooner, whose real name is Michael Adebayo Olayinka, pulled back the curtain on his emotional journey, tracing it all the way back to a childhood crush that went sideways.

“There was this aunty that I liked — she used to call me ‘my boyfriend,’” Ruger recalled, laughing at the memory. “So I assumed she was my woman.”

But what started as playful affection quickly turned into heartbreak. One day, young Ruger spotted her with another man, and reality hit hard. For the child who had already pictured himself as her little Romeo, it was a devastating twist.

“I cried my eyes out and started singing Styl-Plus’ ‘Imagine That,’” he said, referencing the early 2000s heartbreak anthem that became his emotional soundtrack. “That experience broke my heart. That was what started my toxicity.”

While Ruger’s confession might sound lighthearted, it shines a humorous spotlight on how even the smallest childhood experiences can shape our emotional worldview.