The singer reflects on his modest upbringing, street-inspired music, family support and admiration for Lionel Messi, Mike Tyson and Quadri Aruna

Nigerian singer Temitope Adekunle, popularly known as Small Doctor, has opened up about his difficult upbringing, unconventional route into music and enduring love for boxing, describing the sport as such a defining part of his identity that “I am boxing”.

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In an interview with PUNCH journalist Peter Akinbo published on Saturday, August 29, 2026, the singer also spoke about football, Lionel Messi, his mother, his early struggles in the music industry and the principles that have helped shape his career.

Born in Kaduna and brought to Lagos at a young age, Small Doctor said he grew up around Dopemu and attended primary and secondary school in Agege.

“Growing up was not really rosy for me,” he said.

Sport, however, offered him an enduring source of passion.

Small Doctor said he has always considered himself a sportsman and has remained actively involved in sporting activities, particularly boxing and football.

His Small Doctor boxing passion is especially pronounced.

“It’s boxing. Everyone knows I love boxing. Boxing is my life the same way football is some people’s life, and basketball is for other people; boxing is mine. I am boxing,” he said.

Although boxing remains his clear favourite, Small Doctor said Barcelona is his preferred football club. When asked to name the greatest athlete in his estimation, he immediately chose Lionel Messi.

“Lionel Messi is the GOAT,” he said.

His admiration for sport extends beyond football and boxing. Small Doctor identified former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson as his favourite sportsman of all time and named Nigerian table tennis star Quadri Aruna as his favourite African athlete.

He said his participation in sporting activities has also become a way of maintaining a direct relationship with his audience.

“I have always been part of sports and till today, I participate in sports and sporting events because it helps to bridge the gap between me and the fans,” he said.

That connection with ordinary Nigerians is also central to his musical identity.

Small Doctor has long cultivated a reputation as a street-oriented performer, a quality that helped distinguish him during his rise from Agege to national prominence. His earlier accounts of his career have similarly emphasised the influence of street life on his music and public identity. (Blueprint Newspapers Limited)

His familiar “Omo Iya Teacher” identity is rooted in his family.

Small Doctor confirmed that his mother is a teacher and owns a school, explaining the origin of the phrase that has become closely associated with him.

His parents initially supported a very different ambition.

The singer said he once wanted to become an aeronautical engineer and that his parents encouraged him to pursue his childhood dream. Music eventually became his path, which he attributes to divine direction.

“Good parents do not decide for their children; they would only support them in whatever they do as long as they are on the right path,” he said.

His journey into music was far from straightforward.

Small Doctor recalled that the early years were difficult, particularly because he came from an average-income family and had to find ways of funding studio sessions himself.

He singled out producer Pennywise for recording his first song almost free of charge because he believed in his potential.

The singer also said he took on petty jobs to raise money for recording sessions, a reflection of the persistence that would later become a recurring feature of his career story.

His unconventional route to stardom has been documented in earlier interviews, in which he revealed that he worked as a bus conductor and motorcycle rider and spent considerable time around Lagos motor parks while pursuing music. (Punch Newspapers)

Small Doctor’s stage name also emerged from an unlikely combination of television and family banter.

He said his elder brother gave him the name after noticing his fascination with the television series Doctor Who and his relatively small stature.

His brother initially called him “Doctor Small”, but the singer later reversed the words because he felt “Small Doctor” sounded better and connected more naturally with his audience. (Punch Newspapers)

That audience remains central to how he understands his music.

Small Doctor described his songs as music “for the streets”, saying the relationship is based on mutual trust between him and his listeners.

Unlike many musicians who meticulously write lyrics before recording, he said he does not write his songs.

“I have never written songs. I just go into the studio and say it as it comes. None of my hit songs was written,” he said.

He rejected the suggestion that his freestyle-driven approach means his songs lack substance.

According to him, his messages are often embedded in street slang and storytelling rather than presented in conventional lyrical forms.

“Anyone who says my songs do not pass messages should reflect on them again, and they will realise that there are messages in my songs,” he said.

That approach has helped him carve out a distinctive place in Nigeria’s popular music landscape, particularly through songs such as “Penalty”, which became a major breakthrough and later earned him the Best Street Hop award at The Headies in 2018.

His earlier account of the song’s origin linked its famous football-themed line to advice from his mother after he lost an award. (Pulse Nigeria)

For Small Doctor, authenticity remains more important than conforming to a prescribed formula.

He said the most important lesson he has learnt from the entertainment industry is simple.

“I have learnt to be myself at all times,” he said.

That philosophy appears to run through both his music and his relationship with sport.

From the streets of Agege to major stages, Small Doctor has built his career around an identity that embraces his roots rather than distancing himself from them.

His affection for boxing, meanwhile, offers another window into the personality behind the music: competitive, energetic and deeply connected to the communities that helped shape him.

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For a performer who says he never writes his songs and describes himself as boxing itself, the thread connecting his career is perhaps the same one he identifies as his greatest lesson: remaining unmistakably himself.