A popular artist, Johnny Drille, married around a year ago, unknown to his fans and some business colleagues, according to news that appeared on the Internet about a week ago. Drille, however, is not the first entertainer who has pulled such a trick. Saturday Beats looks at other entertainers who have performed similarly.
Johnny Drille and Rima
Earlier this month, Johnny Drille, a Mavin Records signed singer and songwriter, released a song named ‘The Best Part,’ along with a music video. The song was written in honor of his wife, Rima Tahini-Ighodaro, who works as an A&R executive for Mavin Records.
Shortly after, his record label boss, Don Jazzy, posted a picture of himself with the couple on their wedding day captioning it, “With all the amazing love songs that @johnnydrille has written, it is only right that he bags one of the most amazing women I have met to share #Thebestpart of his life with. I am so happy for both of you. May GOD continue to bless your union. Happy birthday again @rimouuune.”
The tweet appeared to confirm the couple’s marriage, and many were surprised that the couple could have kept such major news hidden for almost a year.
Meanwhile, Rima had revealed that she was married a few months before, however she did not tell who her partner was. In the post on January 5, 2023, which contained pictures from her wedding, she wrote, “Exactly a year ago yesterday— the most beautiful day, and it has been the most beautiful first year of marriage. I am filled with gratitude to God everyday and look forward to forever by his grace.”
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Adekunle and Simi
Both singers’ fans were aware that they were in a relationship, but the majority of them were unaware when they married. The couple, who had been dating for five years, married in January 2019. Their marriage, however, caught some people off guard, as some fans assumed Simi was in a relationship with another colleague, Falz.
The pair reportedly got engaged in December 2018, and their traditional and white weddings were held on January 9 and 10, 2019, respectively. The event was attended by only a few members of their family and friends. It was also said that photographs were not permitted at the ceremony, making it more difficult for the word to circulate.
In an email to fans in January 2019, Gold confirmed their union. He wrote, “Earlier in 2018, I asked my girl of five years to be my wife. Knowing all of my imperfections and shortcomings, she said ‘yes’!
“This January, before God and our family, we vowed to do this thing called life together. To be honest, it is easy to get lost in the limelight; so we definitely have a slightly obsessive desire for a private life that belongs to just us.
“We planned on sharing a little bit of the beginning of our forever with you. Thankfully, my team got kudus on our little island with us to capture some of these moments for you.”
Shortly after, he released a song titled, ‘Promise’, on which he featured his wife.
Di’ja and Rotimi
Di’ja, a former Mavin Records signee, married Rotimi in a secret wedding in 2015, and attendance was strictly by invitation only.
According to reports, the photographer at the event did not know who his customers were until he arrived at the venue in Kaduna State.
Taking to social media on January 6, 2017, about two years after the wedding took place, Di’ja, posted pictures of her husband and her son, and added the caption, “2015, I became a wife; 2016, I became a mother. 2017, we are all alive and well.”
She also thanked the vendors engaged for the event for doing good jobs.”
She added, “Thank you, my family, friends and Mavin Records for all the support. Thank you all for your kindness and respect. I love my life anytime I’m with you. To my fans; thank you.”
Few hours after Di’ja posted the now-deleted post, the photographer, Henry Oji, also posted a picture from Di’ja’s wedding on social media. He wrote, “One of the highlights of 2015 was documenting @aphrodija’s wedding. I had never had to do a wedding in recent times that I did not know who the bride was until we got to Kaduna. She looked absolutely beautiful. I love this image of Di’ja and her dad so much. The connection fathers have with their daughters is so unique. I did not know then; but now, I know. God bless you Di’ja for trusting us with your big day. God bless your calm husband and your handsome son.”
After that announcement, Di’ja has kept her private life out of the news. However, the marriage now blessed with three children— a boy and two girls.
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Dbanj and Didi
Oladapo Oyebanjo, aka D’banj, was a self-proclaimed koko master who was adored by admirers all over the world. He was also the ‘dream husband’ of many women, and many were waiting to see who he would marry.
On July 2, 2016, the musician was claimed to have secretly married his wife, Didi Kilgrow, in Maryland, Lagos. According to reports, the few attendees invited to the wedding assumed they were attending a birthday party for D’banj’s father, not realizing it was the wedding of the ‘Why Me’ singer and his wife, whom he had proposed to four months previously.
A report by an online newspaper, The Cable, reported that an unnamed source had confirmed that the wedding took place at the Oyebanjo’s family home in Maryland.
The source was reported to have said, “D’banj has been in a serious relationship with Didi for the past year, and he was a regular visitor to her house in Lekki Phase 1. He usually visited at least two to three times every week.”
According to the source, D’banj’s vehicle brought Didi home on Saturday night after the secret wedding, and she was extremely excited.
However, the couple’s marriage was not announced until October 1, 2017, when the singer introduced his wife and now-deceased son, Daniel, to the audience at a concert.
About a year earlier, in an interview with Premium Times on April 24, 2017, the singer had hinted that he would have a ‘quiet’ wedding. Asked when he would be getting married, the singer had replied, “Who said I am not married? I am not married but if I am, nobody would hear about it. It is going to be a very quiet wedding, because I am tired of people asking me that question. It is my personal life, and it is not going to change my music or brand.
“I am not going to get married because people want me to; neither would I do it just to enter another phase of my life, just like some of my colleagues have done. They make it seem as if once one is married, one has retired (from the music industry). But, that should not be the case. Marriage would not change anything about me, and whenever it happens, nobody would hear about it. There would only be speculations. My wife would not be seeking fame, because the one (popularity) I have is already enough for all my family members. When I get married, it would be a very quiet one. Who knows, it might have already happened.”
In an interview on August 8, 2017, the singer had stated that he kept his wedding a secret because he did not want the complications that came with a celebrity relationship. He said, “I decided to keep my marriage to Didi a secret because based on experience, relationships like this get mixed with media hype and speculation; then, it becomes complicated.
“I was under pressure to get married, and my mum told me she wanted to see the girl I was dating and intended to marry. I told her I had a girlfriend, but that we did not want to get married yet. However, she (my mum) insisted that she was the one for me, and that we should have a small ceremony. I am glad I listened to her.”
Funke Akindele
Funke Akindele, a prominent actress, is alleged to have married Abdulrasheed Bello, alias JJC Skillz, a singer, producer, and director, in London, United Kingdom.
Although the two are no longer together, they were once one of the most admired couples in the entertainment industry.
However, on Akindele’s birthday in 2016, Skillz had hinted that they were married. Felicitating her, he had written on social media, “Happy birthday @funkejenifaakindele, aka FAB. Many happy returns. May all your days be filled with love and happiness. You will find peace in your home, work, body, mind and soul. You’ll never lack. Health and wealth is your portion. Long life and prosperity. Stay blessed, my best friend.”
Though many did not know at the time, FAB meant ‘Funke Akindele-Bello’.
She was also seen wearing two wedding bands and introducing herself as Olufunke Akindele-Bello at an event in August 2016.
When she added ‘Bello’ to her name on her social media profiles, she officially verified the news to her admirers and the broader public.
In keeping with their desire for solitude, the couple kept the birth of their children a secret for some time. They were rumored to have twins in December of 2018, yet many of their followers were unaware of this for quite some time.
