Ryno Opens Up on Losing Both Parents and How It Shaped His Music

LAGOS — Nigerian Afrobeats singer Ryno has opened up about one of the most painful chapters of his life. In a deeply personal interview published on Sunday, the artist revealed how losing both his parents profoundly affected his music career and shaped the emotional depth of his upcoming project, La Vida Loca.

Ryno, whose full name is not widely known publicly, said both parents passed away within a relatively short period of each other. The losses left him emotionally devastated and creatively paralysed for a significant stretch. He said there were moments when he questioned whether he could continue making music at all.

“Losing your parents changes everything. Your whole framework shifts. The people who believed in you first, who shaped who you are, are gone. I had to find out who I was without them, and then find out whether I still had something to say in music,” Ryno said in the interview.

He said the grief eventually became fuel. Unable to express what he was feeling in conversation, he returned to the studio and began writing songs that captured the rawness of loss, the confusion of survival, and the strange peace that eventually comes after deep grief. La Vida Loca is described as his most personal project to date.

Music as Healing

Ryno’s story reflects a tradition in Nigerian music of artists using personal pain as creative material. From Fela Kuti’s political losses to contemporary artists who have documented heartbreak and family tragedy in their work, Nigerian music has often served as a vehicle for processing collective and personal emotion.

Mental health advocates praised Ryno for speaking openly about grief and its impact on his creative life. They said his willingness to discuss loss publicly helps reduce the stigma around emotional struggles in Nigeria’s entertainment industry, where many artists feel pressure to project strength and success at all times.

In addition, several Nigerian artists and fans responded to the interview on social media with messages of solidarity. Many shared their own experiences of losing parents or loved ones and said Ryno’s honesty made them feel less alone in their own grief.

La Vida Loca

Ryno said La Vida Loca, which translates roughly to The Crazy Life, is not just a project about sadness. He said it is also about celebration, survival, and the joy of being alive despite everything. He described it as an honest reflection of the full emotional spectrum a person experiences when they lose someone they love deeply.

He has not announced a specific release date for the project. However, he said the work is close to completion and that he is confident it will connect with listeners who have experienced significant personal loss. He described it as the most honest music he has ever made.

Ryno’s openness about his personal life comes at a moment when Nigerian entertainment is increasingly willing to engage with difficult emotional topics. The death of Niniola’s husband and Alexx Ekubo’s cancer death earlier this month have made the entertainment community more reflective about loss, vulnerability, and the importance of expressing grief honestly.