Queen Naija says she’s tired of fans reading deeper meaning into her name, so much so that she’s thinking of changing it altogether.
The 25-year-old songstress, whose full legal name is Queen Naija Bulls, uses her first and middle names as her stage name while releasing music and performing. However, the word “Naija” is also used in association with Nigerian pride and culture and is often interchanged with “Nigeria” when referring to the nation.
Queen, being of African American and Yemeni descent, has no direct blood or cultural ties to Nigeria. That, paired with some slight controversy regarding perceived colorist statements she’s made in the past on her YouTube channel, has led some fans to take issue with her stage name.
“I think I wanna legally change the spelling of my middle name ‘Naija’ to ‘Najah’ cause so many people think I’m calling myself the Queen of Nigeria,” she reportedly expressed in a now-deleted Twitter post.
Though it’s unclear how serious the singer is about pursuing the legal name change, it’s clear that her frustration with being misunderstood has reached a fever pitch. Watch as the singer explains the origins of and frustrations surrounding her name (including a desire to change it) in this 2018 interview.