This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
June 18, 2020, marked a significant day for Tanzanian singer and songwriter Vanessa Mdee as she opened up about her secret struggle with alcoholism in her podcast, One on One with Vanessa Mdee.
For the better part of 2019, Mdee found herself drinking herself to sleep every night, a habit she hid from those around her. 'I drank myself to sleep every night. I am not proud of it but it is my truth and I know there are people who need to hear this. I was lying to people around me to cover up and to keep the facade alive,' she narrated.
According to Mdee, she had a perfect life on the outside, but inside, she was dying. 'This is my truth and me letting you into this space because I don’t want to live a candy-coated life anymore. I became a robot and I have no desire to be a robot or be unhappy anymore, because that’s what I was, unhappy,' she confessed.
She also revealed that she has no desire to continue with her music career, citing a lack of passion and a desire to live a more authentic life. 'I have no desire to do anything that is music industry-related, I have no desire to go to another award show, to keep up a facade, I have no desire to be a pseudo person which I truly became and I could not recognise myself anymore,' the singer said.
