Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold has shared that genotype compatibility played a decisive role in his choice of a life partner  a decision shaped by his own status as a carrier of the SS genotype.

Speaking on a recent episode of the One54 Podcast, the singer said that regardless of how strong the love was, he could not have gone ahead with marrying someone who was AS or SS. He explained that his reasoning came down to responsibility: bringing a child into the world only to have them struggle with sickle cell disease wasn't something he was willing to risk.

According to him, checking his now-wife's genotype was one of the very first things he did after they met. Once he confirmed she was AA, he felt comfortable moving forward with the relationship  a compatibility that, in his view, gave their future children a fighting chance at a healthy life.

Adekunle Gold has been vocal about sickle cell awareness since publicly disclosing his own SS status, using his platform to encourage genotype testing before marriage. He tied the knot with fellow artist Simi in January 2019, and the couple now have two children together.