Nadia Nakai says she refuses to stay 'frozen in time' by grief as she opens up about moving on after AKA’s death.
Image: Instagram
Rapper Nadia Nakai has spoken out about the intense public scrutiny she experiences when her personal life becomes news, particularly following the death of her late boyfriend, Keirnan Forbes, who was widely known as AKA.
Speaking on L-Tido’s podcast, the rapper addressed the reaction that followed her Valentine’s Day posts with amapiano artist Toss.
The two sparked dating rumours during the month of love when they shared a series of intimate pictures on social media.
In the pictures, Nakai could be seen sitting on Toss’s lap as the two laughed and embraced each other. The post had fans debating, with some fans convinced it was a soft launch of a new relationship, while others questioned whether the rapper had moved on from AKA.
During the interview, L-Tido asked Nakai directly if she and Toss were dating.
“Oh, Toss is my baby. I love him so much,” she said.
Nakai laughed and compared the moment to a time when L-Tido shared a kiss with actress and musician Anele Zondo, also known as Nae the Bae. “It’s like when you kissed Nae the Bae,” she said.
She admitted that she had thought about the situation while sharing a kiss with Toss because it looked similar.
“I’m not gonna lie, I honestly thought about you guys when I did the kiss with Toss. I was like, oh.”
L-Tido suggested the moment might have worked in Toss’s favour, but questioned what Nakai gained from it. She was visibly unsettled by the question before responding.
“I gained my freedom. Under this cloud and this stigma that I’m forever frozen in time as someone’s widow, when I wasn’t married to him,” she said.
The “Missing You” hitmaker explained that the public reaction often makes her feel as though she is expected to remain stuck in grief.
“You need to understand that Kiernan has been dead longer than I was with him when he was alive. I’m still Nadia Nakai, and I was always Nadia Nakai before. And I’ll be Nadia Nakai after Keenan,” she added.
The rapper was in a relationship with AKA when he was shot and killed in Durban in February 2023. Since then, much of her personal life has played out in the public eye, with fans often weighing in whenever she appears close to another man.
L-Tido acknowledged that some members of AKA’s fanbase, known as the Megacy, were hurt by the posts.
“I don’t know, but people from the Megacy were hurt in the comments,” he said. Nakai said she understands their feelings but also has to prioritise her own life.
“I love the Megacy, but I love myself too. And I know I don’t want this life to be alone.”
She added that while she will always love the late rapper, she is ready to move forward.
“I don’t want to spend the rest of my life by myself. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life loving a ghost. And I love him. And I’ll always love him. He’ll always have a special space in my heart, but I’m ready to move on.”
The conversation has reignited debate online about grief and whether there is a “right” timeline to move on after losing a partner.
Lily Breuning Ellis, who specialises in “breath and death”, told IOL that the grieving process is deeply personal.
“It is a personal process, and any timeframe that it takes for someone to get to that point of acceptance is the timeframe that it takes and has nothing to do with disrespect or respect.”
Relationship expert Shelley Lewin shared a similar view, explaining that grief does not follow a fixed timeline.
“Grief, loss, and the mourning process have no right or wrong answers; it is unique to the person and the circumstances.”
However, some fans also took issue with the way Nakai spoke about the late rapper during the interview, particularly her choice of words.
@fikileteyisi commented: “Nothing wrong with moving on, but let's learn to honour those who’ve passed on by watching and choosing the right words when referring to them.”
Another user, @lykable, wrote: “‘Kiernan has been dead more than we dated’ for someone you love and respect, you dnt use such words. ‘Kiernan passed away’ would have been more appropriate! Yo!”
@OldSiya added: “Nadia is not a wise woman. There are so many ways to say this.”