00:05Bona Boi was my best friend, Bona Boi was my brother, Bona Boi was everything to me.
00:13He's very devoted to what he's doing and to be honest I see myself the same.
00:19Bona, we wanna party, come on!
00:24I will meet him, I've planned it in my head.
00:28I got jealous when he went international.
00:32You know when something is precious to you, you want to keep it hidden.
00:46Celebrity Worship Syndrome describes when admiration of a celebrity shifts into an obsessive fascination
00:52and preoccupation.
00:55My name is Stephanie.
00:57I'm 25 years old.
00:58And I was a huge Bona Boi fan, possibly obsessed.
01:02Celebrities can serve as role models and inspiration, influencing your identity, beliefs or even
01:08lifestyle choices.
01:09And keeping up with them can offer a welcome break from reality.
01:12My first ever concert was a Bona Boi concert.
01:16He has such a beautiful music voice.
01:19I feel like Bona Boi was my teacher.
01:21The African Giant album literally told us about Africa.
01:23I sort of related to him in a nerdy way.
01:28Like okay, I hear what he's trying to say.
01:30I feel like he is the most talented person in the world.
01:36But feeling close to someone you don't actually know can lead to what's called a parasocial
01:41relationship.
01:42Their public persona creates a sense of connection.
01:44But the relationship is one-sided.
01:48I call him Damini.
01:50That's his actual government name.
01:52I don't really call him Bona Boi because I feel like we're spiritually related.
01:57He named us the Outsiders after the Outside album.
02:01I felt like I was part of a community.
02:05Studies indicate that fandom can help boost your self-confidence because your self-esteem
02:10is partially derived from the groups you belong to.
02:13I had a group of friends who would always speak on good music.
02:18I would check his socials.
02:19He likes to defend people so I also like to defend him.
02:22So that's how obsessed I was, just trying to shove Bona Boi down everybody's throat.
02:27And I think it worked.
02:29He went viral.
02:30I got jealous.
02:31Because he's like, why am I sharing him?
02:35And all of a sudden, everybody wants their fans Bona Boi.
02:38For some, parasocial relationships can evolve into romantic attachments, blurring the boundaries
02:44between admiration and obsession.
02:46Even without romantic feelings, one-sided connections become problematic when they begin to dominate
02:52your everyday thoughts or start to replace authentic, real-life connections.
02:56Smile, smile.
02:57No cry.
02:58I've had the opportunity to meet Bona Boi.
03:00I used to be friends with a girl who was dating somebody in Bona Boi's team.
03:05So she promised me, oh, don't worry.
03:07After the concert, we'll meet up with him.
03:10So I was going to say a line from an old song that he probably doesn't remember.
03:14Then he'll be like, who is this girl, Komo?
03:17You are different.
03:18But that didn't work.
03:20Till now, I haven't met him.
03:21I will meet him.
03:22But that was so devastating.
03:25Celebrity worship syndrome can differ widely in terms of severity, ranging from mild to
03:31pathological.
03:32Factors in the disorder can include mental fixation, a desire for connection, and emotional distress
03:38over the celebrity's actions.
03:39I'm so upset!
03:41I'm so upset!
03:43He is an arrogant person.
03:45He is extremely stubborn.
03:47If you've tapped into Bona Boi for a while, he does a lot of questionable things.
03:52I'm in the music industry now.
03:55And me being me, I would question it.
04:00My turning point was how he would treat his fans.
04:05The bad headlines.
04:08Then I got disappointed when he went into, like, sexual assault, which we don't know
04:13is true or not.
04:15I'm popular known as Ben7G on Twitter and try to document Bona Boi and talk about music
04:21online.
04:22Give me an instance of an obsessed fan that you've encountered.
04:26Just something crazy, you know?
04:28If I came up on stage at the Lagos concert, Bona Boi is hugely
04:35interesting.
04:36He's a very playful person and he jokes a lot in real life.
04:41When celebrities act in ways that contradict their public image, fans sometimes feel torn
04:46between their admiration and their own personal values.
04:50I tapped out of being so obsessed with him.
04:55I can actually separate the artist, but I will also still tap in if I want to feel nostalgic.
05:02I have turned my obsession into a passion.
05:05I'm a publicist and I'm such a big believer of extremely talented people.
05:10I want to be Bona Boi when he knows who I am, not as a fan, but like a, oh,
05:16I know you.
05:16I've seen you.
05:17I've seen your work.
05:18Well done.
05:19I will not freak out.
05:29Dulce.
05:38You chop down my money.
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