Nigerian actress and TikToker, Salman Olamide, popularly known as Kidbaby, has revealed that she worked in a bar in 2022 to raise money for her Higher National Diploma programme.
She disclosed this during an appearance on Barricades Live with Adewunmi, a podcast hosted by fellow TikToker Wunmi Star, on Thursday.
“Back in 2022, I was struggling to raise money for my HND programme, so I worked in a bar to finance my education,” she said.
Kidbaby also recounted how her family’s fortunes changed after her father was involved in a serious accident in 2010.
“I was born into a very educated and Islamic household. Growing up was not very easy for me because we lost a lot when my dad was involved in a serious accident back in 2010. At that point, everything changed,” she said.
She explained that her family had been financially comfortable before the accident.
“We used to be rich and comfortable. At least, I attended a ‘big school,’ and everything was fine. But all of a sudden, my dad got involved in that accident, and everything changed. It was a very difficult time for us,” she added.
The actress also spoke about her strained relationship with her grandmother, saying disagreements over language and eating habits contributed to her childhood misconceptions about the older woman.
“Before now, I didn’t like my grandma. I used to think she was a witch because she didn’t like us speaking English instead of Yoruba,” she said.
She added, “Also, I preferred eating with cutlery, which she didn’t approve of. Because of these differences, we used to think she was a witch.”
Speaking about her career, Kidbaby described content creation, storytelling, filmmaking and fashion as natural outlets for her creativity.
“The online industry is lucrative and fun. Content creation, storytelling, filmmaking, and other creative activities come easily to me because they are already a part of who I am,” she said.
“Acting is a part of me, and I get inspiration naturally, just as the Holy Spirit ministers to people,” she added.
Kidbaby also shared her perspective on identity, saying she identified more with the place where she grew up than her father’s ancestral hometown.
“I don’t believe in the philosophy of claiming a place as your origin simply because that is where your father comes from. For me, I will always identify with the place where I grew up, and that place is Ijebu-Ode,” she said.