Naira Marley remembered being raised in London and played for the Arsenal youth Millwall, and Charlton teams. He also remembered wishing he had chosen to become a footballer instead.
I once played for Arsenal’s junior team, according to Naira Marley.
Naira Marley stated that growing up in the UK before moving back to his native Nigeria pushed him to incorporate Nigerian culture wherever he could.
The artist talked about how his father influenced the growth of his Yoruba language when he was a child in an interview with Cool FM Lagos, Nigeria.
He stated ;
“What made it easy for me (to blend with Nigerian street music) is that I grew up in South-East London, Peckham to be precise. That is like small Lagos, you know what I mean?
“And all my life in England, my dad banned speaking English in the house. So, we had to speak Yoruba and all these Yoruba stuff. I still listen to Fuji. We eat African foods. Even though I’m in England, it was like I’m still in Nigeria. Yeah, it was easy for me. When I came back (to Nigeria), people didn’t really know I came from London.
“I could have been a footballer too, i used to play for Arsenal Youth, Millwall, Charlton.”
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