Mejja opens up on living with anxiety
By Paulette Mboga, July 14, 2026Musician Mejja has spoken about living with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), revealing how the two affect his daily life and even the release of his music.
In an interview on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, he explained that the days leading up to a new song coming out are especially difficult for him because of anxiety.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, commonly known as OCD, is a condition that involves unwanted thoughts and repeated actions that a person feels driven to do. Mejja explained that he has lived with it since he was in school and that it continues to affect different parts of his life.
“Kwanza acha nikuambie kitu moja, anxiety yangu inakuanga noma sana. Mimi huweka wimbo ya YouTube, hata three days before …hiyo siku inataka kutoka, naweza ku promise, yaani niko kwa bed lakini siko kwa bed lakini sijala. Yaani naweza kuwa msee niko anxious,” Mejja said on Tuesday, July 13, 2026.
He explained that even though he believes in the quality of his music, he still struggles with anxiety whenever a release day arrives. According to him, the feeling becomes so intense that he avoids checking his phone when the song is finally out.
“Yes, najua wimbo ni poa but like….kwanza hiyo siku wimbo inatoka, hata siwezi shika simu. Niko anxious. OCD pia ni mbaya,” Mejja said.
Living with OCD every day
Mejja explained that his experience with OCD started while he was still in school. He said he would repeatedly check whether he had closed his box before settling down. According to him, the behaviour has remained with him over the years.
“Na hii ni kitu nimekuwa nayo tangu nikue shule. Naweza kuwa niko class lazima nikaangalia box yangu, lazima tu niende niangalie kama nimefunga,” Mejja explained.
PHOTO/@mejjagenge/Instagram
He also shared that OCD affects people in different ways. While some people repeatedly clean things, he said his own experience is connected to numbers and certain routines that he feels he has to follow.
“Kuna ile OCD ya kusafisha, na yangu ni numbers. So for example, kama there is a certain way nafaa kuingia kwa gari. Nikiingia vile sifai, nitatoka tena niingie tena. Ni kama disorder hivi. Na huwezi control,” Mejja said.
The musician added that the condition also affects simple daily activities. He explained that even switching off the lights can become difficult because he feels the need to repeat the action several times.
“Pia kuzima taa, naambia mtu mwingine azime, because mimi nitaizima a couple of times,” Mejja said.