Afrobeats star, Kizz Daniel, has revealed that the death of his mother, rather than work on a new album, was the reason he stepped away from music for much of the year.

The singer, whose real name is Oluwatobiloba Anidugbe, made the disclosure on Friday while responding to a fan on X who had assumed that an album project was responsible for his reduced presence on the music scene.

The fan, @VicroyDominion1, had suggested that Kizz Daniel was probably busy working on an album and had therefore been forced to pause his activities.

But the singer offered a deeply personal correction, saying: “I paused for my Mom not an album … Lost her this year, but I gotta keep moving for the rest of the family … sorry I came late this year.”

The revelation gives a different context to the singer’s relatively quiet presence in the entertainment space in 2026, as fans had apparently interpreted his absence largely through the lens of his music career.

Rather than preparing a major album release, Kizz Daniel said he had been dealing with the loss of his mother while trying to remain strong for other members of his family.

His response also appeared to acknowledge fans who had been waiting for his return, with the singer apologising for coming late this year and suggesting that his absence had been unavoidable.

The disclosure immediately drew sympathy from fans, who flooded the comment section with condolences and messages of encouragement for the singer and his family.

One fan described a mother’s love as the best, while another apologised for the loss and said Kizz Daniel’s music had been missed.

The latest bereavement adds to a series of personal losses the singer has experienced during his career. His father died in 2015, while one of his triplets died in 2021.

Despite the difficult experiences, Kizz Daniel has continued to maintain a strong presence in Afrobeats, with hit songs such as “Woju” and “Buga” becoming major parts of his musical identity.

His latest revelation, however, shows that his absence from the spotlight this year was driven by a personal family tragedy, not an album rollout or calculated break from the industry.