Rising Nigerian singer Qing Madi recently sat down with Chinasa Akunam on the popular podcast “Is This Seat Taken” to discuss her music, personality, and passions. In the candid interview, Qing Madi revealed that her confident stage presence is a far cry from her quiet and introverted self.

According to Qing Madi, performing makes her nervous, as it contrasts sharply with her real self, who isn’t as confident. She explained that she has a mini library in her room and often buries herself in books to chill and relax. “I have a mini library in my room right now so I’m just like, ‘books, books, books’ and I just bury myself and chill,” she said.

The 18-year-old singer also confessed that she enjoys classical ballet more than music at times, revealing that she used to take ballet classes and even enjoyed it more than music. “I enjoyed it even more than music at some point,” she said. “It’s one thing to suffer and it’s another thing for your friend to suffer with you. I loved it. I loved how I and my friends would cry from backaches; those memories of dancing in the church were beautiful.”

Qing Madi credited ballet with helping her confidence when performing on stage and with her flexibility. “Ballet helped with my confidence when performing on stage; it helped with my flexibility, obviously and it was my safe place. It still is,” she concluded.