Dancehall star Vybz Kartel has said he will never bleach his skin again, explaining that his past decision came from personal struggles with self-acceptance.

Speaking in an interview with American host Ebro Darden on Hot 97 radio, the popular Jamaican artiste reflected on his skin-bleaching experience and what influenced it.

“I mean, in hindsight it definitely had to do with self-love, but on the other hand, while I was doing it, my mind wasn’t telling me that. My mind was telling me, ‘I am doing this to show my tattoos’…

I got a lot of tattoos. But looking back, it was just as a Black man, sometimes we have those issues. But I would never bleach again though,” Kartel said.

He also shared that he has cut down on drinking and smoking, and is now focused on starting a new chapter of his life with his fiancée, Sidem Öztürk.

“I analyse myself a lot of times, and I think the heavy drinking and smoking when I came out was just my crutch. You got to try to cope. I’ve been in prison for 13 years; I’m out now. The world is bigger — it’s a lot,” he explained.

Looking to the future, Kartel said he is excited about settling down and starting a family. “I want some Turkish children,” he said, expressing his hopes of marrying Öztürk and building a life together.