On Sunday (April 18), Chika took to Twitter to share an update with fans.
“I am alive. I am okay,” she wrote. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out to check in. It’s been a very intense week. I’m not retiring. After what I’ve endured in the past few days, I’m not ever allowing anything to stop me or almost take me from this ghetto ass earth.”
“Thank you, @iamcardib for reaching out & showing such kindness to me in a time I don’t even think you knew was as serious as it was. You’ve always shown love to me & don’t think I could take that for granted,” Chika continued. “You’re appreciated.”
The singer also announced she will be taking a social media break. “I will be stepping back from social media for the time being, whether that means silence or just having someone else post for me. I’m too valuable to be tampered with. And it took almost not being here to realize this internet s–t isn’t worth it,” she wrote.
Finally, Chika posted a typed statement about the “vulnerable moments” she has recently experienced. “It’s a chance for me to process all of this and protect the joy I have left,” she explained of her choice to take a break.
Chika’s messages came after she posted a number of concerning social media messages indicating that she was suicidal on Saturday (April 10).
Her first tweet on April 10 simply said, “I’m retiring.” She continued in her next tweet, “There’s some live show coming up at the wiltern soon. I’ll have details on it or whatever. last time im performing s–t. i’m so over it.”
After followers on Twitter reacted to the announcement, Chika followed with both filmed and written responses, opening up about being depressed and suicidal — and blasting “stans” that she said were worsening her personal issues.
In one video directly addressing those “stans,” she said she was suicidal “and have been. It has very little to do with you guys because nothing you do matters. Let me repeat that. Nothing you do matters. You’re nobody. The only thing you do is dogpile on top of people’s other mental problems and make them worse. I came on here today and said I’m retiring because that’s where I’m at physically, mentally and emotionally, and you stupid b—–s flooded my comments immediately not knowing what the f— I’m going through, but you want me to give a good godd— about you and your stupid— fifth grade stan friends. No.”
In a second video posted on her account, Chika said, “I’m in therapy. I’m literally working through s— and sometimes I need to just talk. Sometimes I need to just tweet something. Me saying I want to retire, which is something I told my manager yesterday, you know, you just think that it’s funny, it’s all fun and f—ing games … attack me, like I’m the issue.”
And in a note dated April 10, written at 7:23 p.m., she wrote, in part: “the mental toll being in the industry has taken on me is not something you bounce back from easily. i’ve told my team, i’ve told my therapist, i’ve told friends and acquaintances. today i told twitter. what followed was a hoard of psychotic fans rejoining in the decline of my mental health, harassing me as if i spoke to them first. when you have depression, the negative self talk you have towards yourself is deafening. now imagine a slew of weirdos dogpiling on top of thoughts you already have to fight off yourself. it’s not f—ing cool, it’s not ‘trolling’ or ‘stan culture,’ you’re pushing people to the point of no return.”
Later on Saturday night, she responded to a tweet telling her to not let “15 yo twitter trolls get you all upset” by typing back, “stip f—ing telling me what the f— got me@upset, i was cleaely upset BEFORE they started f—ing with me. WHY else would i say i’m retiring. y’all are so f—in dense that you think a stan can turn someone suicidal, no n—-, i BEEN here. they just make it worse.”
Billboard has reached out to representatives for Chika.
If you or someone you know are struggling with mental health and/or experiencing suicidal thoughts, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
