A new confession from Don Jazzy has reignited a conversation that refuses to die. It’s one that sits at the intersection of fame, love, and fear. In a recent interview, the award-winning producer and Mavin Records boss admitted that despite all his success, marriage remains one mountain he is not ready to climb again. He expressed his fears plainly, a statement that sent social media into overdrive and resurrected old questions about the price of greatness.
It was not a flippant comment. For a man whose life and career have been publicly dissected for nearly two decades, Don Jazzy’s honesty landed with weight. It reflected not cynicism, but fatigue, like the voice of someone who has lived long enough in the limelight to see the cost of ‘love gone wrong’.
A Star Built in the Studio
Michael Collins Ajereh, born on November 26, 1982, in Umuahia, Abia State, is a man who built himself from sound. The son of an Isoko father and an Igbo mother, he grew up in Ajegunle, Lagos, a place where rhythm and hustle meet. From a young age, he was drawn to the world of instruments, learning bass guitar and percussion long before his name meant anything.
In the early 2000s, Don Jazzy left Nigeria for London, where he met D’banj, the partnership that would soon redefine Nigerian pop. Together, they founded Mo’ Hits Records, and for nearly a decade, ruled the Nigerian airwaves.
Don Jazzy’s signature production being minimalist, soulful, and deeply rhythmic, became the backbone of early Afrobeats. When the duo split in 2012, he rebuilt, creating Mavin Records, a powerhouse that has launched a new generation of stars including Rema, Ayra Starr, Ladipoe, and Johnny Drille.
Yet behind the beats and banter lies a man who has always been surprisingly private, especially about love.
The Marriage That Came Before the Music
Few knew until 2021 that Don Jazzy had once been married. It was he who revealed it, in a candid Instagram post that accompanied an old wedding photo. Her name is Michelle Jackson, a UK-based model and writer. They got married in 2003 while he was still in his early twenties, long before fame and fortune came knocking. “I loved her and I loved music,” he wrote, “but music took all of me.” When the marriage ended two years later, he buried that chapter quietly until he chose to unearth it himself.
That early heartbreak, it seems, left an imprint. “I’m still very much in love with my music,” he said in later interviews. “And I don’t want to make someone else unhappy because I can’t give them the attention they deserve.”
The Confession That Stirred the Internet
The latest wave of conversation came from his sit-down on the HabbyFX Show and subsequent clips shared online on November 4. Don jazzy said:
“There are good ones, there are bad ones. My parents were madly in love before my mom died.
We see examples like that that make you believe in relationships and crave it and want something like that.”
“But when you see bad examples, when people come online to expose their partners after a breakup, it gives me fear. You try to be vulnerable with one person out there. I am still waiting for God. They said when you find the one, you will have butterflies in your stomach.”
Leaning back with the quiet assurance of a man who knows the gravity of his own words, he listed three reasons for his scare, ranging from messy breakups, financial loss, and the emotional exhaustion that comes with commitment. Don Jazzy continued:
“A man has to lose half of all that he has worked for in his life, that’s those ones that don’t have a prenup, like in America. All those things used to scare me. The money that I have amassed is for my generation.”
When asked if he has given love another chance, Don Jazzy replied, “I’ve actually dated before. Currently, I’m single. Na fear, though God’s time is the best.”
The Record Label boss spoke as someone who has seen enough failed unions to be wary, a businessman aware of the stakes of emotional decisions in a world where love can become litigation. His worry is based off recent crashes of celebrity marriages which now unravel on Instagram before lawyers even file papers.
But beneath the financial talk is something deeper: fear of loss, fear of exposure, fear of being misunderstood. For a man who built his empire in the full glare of public attention, there is a certain vulnerability in admitting that success hasn’t shielded him from loneliness or from doubt.
Lessons from the Past, Scars from the Industry
Those who’ve followed Don Jazzy’s career know he’s had more than one kind of breakup. The Mo’ Hits split from D’banj in 2012 was itself a form of divorce, in a creative, financial, and emotional way. It taught him about betrayal, ownership, and public perception. Safe to say the episode made him cautious, even in business.
It’s also worth noting that he’s watched peers — artists, actors, moguls — lose marriages in spectacularly public ways. Some faced scandals, others financial ruin. For Don Jazzy, who runs Mavin Records as both label and family, these cautionary tales have become case studies.
He once hinted that monogamy might not come naturally to him, not as a boast, but as an admission of complexity. “I don’t think I’m built for one person,” he said in a July interview with Nancy Isime.
“I admire people who can love one person completely and stay committed. But me, even when I’m in a relationship, that doesn’t stop me from admiring someone else.”
He added that some people lose attraction to others when they fall in love, but that isn’t the case for him. “I respect those who can switch off those feelings. I’m not like that,” he admitted.
Those words, resurfacing now, add layers to his confession. They frame his reluctance not as avoidance, but as honesty. Sharing an awareness of what he can and cannot give.
The Price of Success
In truth, Don Jazzy’s dilemma mirrors that of many successful men in entertainment. It gives the vibe of higher you rise, the smaller the pool of people who can see you beyond your fame. For him, marriage represents both intimacy and exposure. A partner’s pain, disagreement or mistake can instantly become tabloid fodder. One wrong move, one leaked message, and privacy evaporates.
Just in the last few years, the industry has witnessed several public breakups with each one dissected and turned into viral content. Don Jazzy, who guards his peace and privacy fiercely, seems unwilling to gamble it for love — at least for now.
Still, the irony lingers: the man who has built careers, discovered stars, and mentored a generation of dreamers, can’t yet bring himself to take the plunge again.
Conclusion
When asked if he’s ruling out marriage completely, Don Jazzy often answers with a shrug. “Maybe someday, if I meet the right person.” It’s the words of a man who has counted the cost and found the price higher than he’s ready to pay.
For now, Don Jazzy remains married to his first love, which is music. It’s a relationship that has outlasted all others, demanding his time, attention and creativity. The hits keep coming, the empire keeps growing, and the man at the centre of it all keeps choosing solitude over surrender.