August Alsina has shared about his decision to become the legal guardian of his nieces after the passing of their parents.
In an interview with People, the R&B singer discussed his choice to care for his nieces, Chaylin, 14, Amaiya, 13, and Kayden, 11, following the tragic deaths of their parents. Alsina’s brother, Melvin, was shot in New Orleans in 2010, and his fiancée, Chandra, passed away from cancer on Christmas Day 2018.
Regarding his nieces, Alsina expressed, “They are wonderful kids with great energy. I’m eager to see life unfold for them, and I aim to be as engaged as possible in their lives while still demonstrating what a career looks like.”
Reflecting on their mother’s last moments, he mentioned, “It was to the point of delusion. I was just like, ‘No way, ain’t no way that’s going to happen.’ I remember my sister [Chandra] asking me, ‘Would you take custody?’ I’m like, ‘Of course I will. But there’s no way you’re going to die.'”
Alsina recounted the text Chandra sent him before she died. “She texted me, ‘All this time you’ve been running from being a parent, from having kids, and now you’re forced to.'”
“I’m like, ‘I just play the cards that life deals me, and I’ll figure everything out,'” the singer said he wrote in reply. “She said, ‘You always do.’ And she went to sleep and that was that.”
Following Chandra’s passing, and with Melvin having died years earlier, Alsina stepped in as the legal guardian for his nieces, whom he affectionately calls his “naughters.” The 27-year-old emphasized that he strives “to set aside as much of [his] childish behavior as possible” for the girls.
“I’m striving to be an example for my ‘naughters,'” Alsina explained. “And I want them to know and trust that they’re going to be alright here with or without me, or without any man, without any woman, without any parent.”
The singer went on to discuss the challenges of balancing parenthood and his career, all while coping with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks the nerves.
“It’s a lot,” Alsina admitted, adding, “But I really do try to see the best in every situation and learn the lesson from every test. I would definitely be lying to you if I told you, ‘Oh, this is how I deal with it.’ I’m still in the process of uprooting my life and letting go of old situations.”
