Exclusive: Queen Naija Talks Spinning 'I Blame Queen Naija' Trend Into A Positive
Singer and internet personality Queen Naija is candidly sharing her insights into the world of social media, revealing its downsides and how she has strategically utilized it as a tool to enhance her financial success.
The 27-year-old, who began her career as a YouTube vlogger shortly after her elimination from the thirteenth season of American Idol in 2014, ultimately shifted gears years later and pursued music full-time following the success of her 2018 hit "Medicine." From there, Queen signed with Capitol Records after "Medicine" generated millions of views online and later released a self-titled EP that same year, most of which was documented on her YouTube channel.
Queen's EP debuted at number 26 on Billboard 200 and went on to earn a Gold certification thanks to her hit records "Medicine," "Karma," and "Mama's Hand." Since then, the mother of two has released her debut album Missunderstood, which earned an American Music Award nomination for favorite R&B album and debuted at number one on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart.
In light of Queen's accomplishments over the years, she became a prime target for social media trolls. During a recent interview with xoNecole's Kayla Walker, Queen opened up about the "Blame Queen Naija" trend and how she's been able to block out the negativity.
Queen On "I Blame Queen Naija"
For context, in the "I Blame Queen Naija" trend, social media users condemned the "Butterflies" vocalist for real-life issues that occurred in an attempt to bully her.
In the June discussion, Queen revealed that after being the brunt of the joke for many years, she monetized the situation by creating and selling "I Blame Queen Naija" t-shirts.
"It's been a joke for a few years now, and for the longest, I was just letting it rock out, but for the first time in a while, I was like, I need to make some money off this. Like I need to make a bag. I decided to drop some t-shirts," she said.
Further into the interview, Queen shared that the "I Blame Queen Naija" trend began to go viral again because of the recent Titan submarine tragedy on Twitter. Due to the virality, Queen claimed that her t-shirts have been selling rapidly.
"It recently got heightened up by a post on Twitter. So I just some shirts, and they're selling," she stated. "Blame me for everything. Just keep blaming me y'all. Keep going."
Queen On Social Media
Despite the hate, when asked how she maintains a positive attitude throughout it all, Queen disclosed that she remains in high spirits because she realizes the difference between social media and real life.
The "Let's Talk About It" songstress proved this fact by sharing that she saw the person who was bullying her online with the "I Blame Queen Naija" trend at one of her shows.
"To be honest with you, social media is social media. It's not a real thing. Like the person that was trolling me for so long about the 'Blame Queen Naija,' he just came to my show. That just goes to show you guys that all of this is fake," she said.
Queen wrapped up her statement by saying that although she's been targeted online for years, it’s different in person.
"It's love in real life. I get love in real life. When I go to my shows, I see all those lights lighting up in the crowd," she stated. "When I reach the mic out, and I don't have to sing my own words. That's what it's about right there. This social media stuff is fake. That's how I cut through it. I just think about the love I have in real life."
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Adrian Marcel On Purpose, Sacrifice, And The 'Signs Of Life'
In this week's episode of xoMAN, host Kiara Walker talked with R&B artist Adrian Marcel, who opened up, full of heart and authenticity, about his personal evolution. He discussed his days transitioning from a young Bay Area singer on the come-up to becoming a grounded husband and father of four.
With honesty and introspection, Marcel reflected on how life, love, and loss have shaped the man he is today.
On ‘Life’s Subtle Signals’
Much of the conversation centered around purpose, sacrifice, and listening to life’s subtle signals. “I think that you really have to pay attention to the signs of life,” Marcel said. “Because as much as we need to make money, we are not necessarily on this Earth for that sole purpose, you know what I mean?” While he acknowledged his ambitions, adding, “that is not me saying at all I’m not trying to ball out,” he emphasized that fulfillment goes deeper.
“We are here to be happy. We are here [to] fulfill a purpose that we are put on here for.”
On Passion vs. Survival
Adrian spoke candidly about the tension between passion and survival, describing how hardship can sometimes point us away from misaligned paths. “If you find it’s constantly hurting you… that’s telling you something. That’s telling you that you’re going outside of your purpose.”
Marcel’s path hasn’t been without detours. A promising athlete in his youth, he recalled, “Early on in my career, I was still doing sports… I was good… I had a scholarship.” An injury changed everything. “My femur broke. Hence why I always say, you know, I’m gonna keep you hip like a femur.” After the injury, he pivoted to explore other careers, including teaching and corporate jobs.
“It just did not get me—even with any success that happened in anything—those times, back then, I was so unhappy. And you know, to a different degree. Like not just like, ‘I really want to be a singer so that’s why I’m unhappy.’ Nah, it was like, it was not fulfilling me in any form or fashion.”
On Connection Between Pursuing Music & Fatherhood
He recalled performing old-school songs at age 12 to impress girls, then his father challenged him: “You can lie to these girls all you want, but you're really just lying to yourself. You ain't growing.” That push led him to the piano—and eventually, to his truth. “Music is my love,” Marcel affirmed. “I wouldn’t be a happy husband if I was here trying to do anything else just to appease her [his wife].”
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Colman Domingo’s Career Advice Is A Reminder That Our Words Shape Our Reality
When it comes to life, we are always here for a good reminder to shift our mindsets, and Colman Domingo just gave us one we didn't know we needed.
In a resurfaced clip from an appearance at NewFest shared as a repost via Micheaux Film Festival, the Emmy award winner dropped a gem on how he has navigated his decades-spanning career in Hollywood. The gem in question? Well, Colman has never identified with "struggle" in his career. Let that sit.
Colman Domingo On Not Claiming Struggle
"I’ve never said that this career was tough. I’ve never said it was difficult. I’ve never said it was hard," Colman said. "Other people would say that—‘oh, you're in a very difficult industry. It's very hard to get work and book work.’ I’m like, I’ve never believed that."
Instead of allowing himself to be defined by other people's projections about their perceptions of what the industry is or was, Colman dared to believe differently even if his reality was playing catch up with his dreams:
"Like Maya Angelou said words are things. And if you believe that, then that's actually what it is. Actually I've just never believed it. Someone told me some years ago, they said, 'I remember you were, you're a struggling actor.' I'm like, 'I don't.'"
"I wasn't attached to a struggle. I was attached to living..."
He continued:
"Even when I was bartending and hustling and not having opportunities or anything, I never believed that I was struggling because I wasn't attached to a struggle. I was attached to living and creating and being curious."
Colman’s philosophy of attaching to living instead of struggle has blossomed into an enduring career. He first made his mark on stage in acclaimed Broadway productions before transitioning to the screen, where his star began to rise in the 2010s following his role as Victor Strand in Fear The Walking Dead. From there, his presence only grew, landing memorable supporting roles in If Beale Street Could Talk, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and the hit series Euphoria.
In more recent years, Colman has stepped fully into the spotlight with standout leading performances in Rustin and Sing Sing, both of which earned him widespread critical acclaim and Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.
With all that said, Colman's advice is no doubt powerful, especially for those who are chasing their dreams, building something from the ground up, or have question marks about what's next in their careers. Words shape our realities, and how we speak about our journeys even in passing matters.
Words Create Our Reality & Colman Is Living Proof
"I tell young people that. To remember the words that you say about yourself and your career are true. So, I choose to make it full of light and love and it's interesting and every day I'm going to learn something new even if it looks like I don't have what I want but it's important to be in the moment... you really build on the moments moment to moment.
"And you're looking back at your career as I've been in it for what 33 years and you're like, 'Wow, that's what I've been doing.' And I've stayed strong to that so I think that is truly my advice."
Let this be your sign to give your path a reframe. When the path you're on feels uncertain, the journey is still unfolding. Like Colman said: "I wasn't attached to a struggle. I was attached to living."
That's a Black king right there.
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