Femi LazarusCEO at Femi Lazarus Consulting

This episode is packed with insight and practical value for anyone looking to grow, build a brand.

1 Jul 2026 · 2 min

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2:27

In this Declassified Podcast episode, three speakers discuss the tension between a performer’s on‑stage persona and their personal relationships, sharing how a pastor warned that a strong stage presence can intimidate men. They recount a recent breakup, describing how the speaker coped by repeatedly listening to a devotional song, "Close to You, Lord I Pray," and noting the emotional restraint of not shedding physical tears. The conversation then shifts to concerns about marriage, with observations that many peers become less publicly visible or alter their creative output after tying the knot. One speaker worries that marriage might amplify or diminish their own work, while another reflects on how marriage can change professional trajectories. The episode ends with a promo for the Declassified Podcast streaming on YouTube and Spotify.

Chapters

I was told by a pastor that the way you talk, men will be scared to come close to you. Ah, when they see that Dera on stage, ah, hey, it looks like that's how you be challenging them at home. And I'm like, but that's not— that's a different person.
And this me, it's like, you know, to be honest, in 2020, the person that broke up with me apparently liked the fact I was making Bija Bodebo. Like, is this what he's going to use to feed you when people get—
oh yes, oh yes.
Yes, it was a thing. So you saying it right now, I can't— because for her, it's like the volume—
your volume went up suddenly. Psychologically, it means the breakfast was hot.
Oh, it was, it was. The only song I went back to was Dr. Paul Enetcheh, "Close to You, Lord I Pray." Close to you, Lord I pray. Lord, unite myself with thee. Let my heart be renewed. Close to you. I sang the song over and over. It was on repeat. For like, for like 3 months. The song was on repeat. And the funniest part is, when you go through such breakup, you lock up. Like, you just lock up. Everything you want to do is to exhale.
Well, you said you can't shed a tear for a single sister.
I didn't cry. It was just, it was just pain.
You cried in your heart.
Okay, yes, yes. I mean, but not, not like physically.
Yeah, you didn't shed a single tear.
Yes, I did not. But it was just that I just kept listening to that song over and over and over and over, to the point I'm just like, man, Dr. Dr. Porsche released another album, like I was ready. I was with Dr. Porsche, you know, his albums actually saw me through those period.
Um, yeah, for me, I'm— I, I feel scared sometimes. I, I, I do feel scared sometimes. Yeah, because let it not be said that when she was single, oh, she was doing— and then she not got married.
Yeah, it's also a big thing for me too.
Like, it's a big deal for you?
Yeah, it is. I've seen a couple of people that Before they got married, you hear their names, they are doing very well. Suddenly they get married and it's just like, we really can't hear much about them. They got into their closed doors. Some of them just switch, like stop doing what they are doing, and then something they are like, you know, reality has to set in, we have to get serious with life. I'm like, wait, were you not serious with life before? Like, I feel like marriage will amplify what I'm doing, not kill what I'm doing.
Declassified Podcast is now streaming on YouTube and Spotify.