Victor Thompson, the gospel artist known for his hit track “This Year,” has opened up about his past, where he used to sell weed and alcohol to sex workers as a means of survival.
In an interview with Chude Jideonwo, Thompson recounted his struggles after losing both parents at the age of 12 and his remarkable journey of transformation.
He described the daily challenges he faced, which included juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet. During the day, Thompson sold sachet water on the streets and worked as a vulcanizer and shoemaker. At night, he ran a small shop near a brothel, selling alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes to sex workers.
“In the morning and afternoon, I did vulcanizing, shoe-making, and hawked pure water,” he explained. “But at night, I went back to my shop, which was close to a brothel, to sell alcohol, weed, and cigarettes. Most of my customers were the prostitutes.”
Thompson also shared the heartbreaking story of losing his parents. “I lost my parents when I was between 12 and 14. My dad passed first, I think I was about 10. When he died, my aunties threw us out of our dad’s house. We didn’t have a place to sleep. Thankfully, a kind carpenter gave us an empty plot of land to sleep on. It was a bush, so at night, I would sneak my mum in. That’s how we lived for years until she couldn’t cope anymore and passed away.”
Thompson’s story is a powerful testimony of resilience and transformation, highlighting how he overcame immense hardships to become a successful gospel artist.
