Secular artiste turned gospel singer Irene Logan has opened up on her cigarette addiction and battle with depression at the prime of her career.

“My journey in the public eye started in 2006 when I took part in the ‘Stars of the Future’ competition. I was young; I think I was about 22 years thereabouts, and I so badly wanted to fit in as an only child.

“I had grown up in a Christian home, and I wanted to explore the world, so that steered me away from my true calling,” Irene Logan explained how she got into the cigarette addiction.

Speaking on the Reason is Jesus on Joy FM on Sunday morning, the ‘Runaway’ hitmaker said the addictions altered part of her life during her mid-20s.

“It [the addictions] put me in a world that wasn’t meant for me. It put me on a completely different path, and it opened me up to all types of associations.

“That led me to all types of addictions, and it altered a big portion of my life,” she said.

The ‘Kabila’ singer added that she couldn’t keep up with the life she was living at a point.

“I used to pray to God to allow me to die because I was going through a lot,” she disclosed.

Explaining how she disassociated from the lifestyle she adopted, Irene Logan said “I got out by grace. It was so bad; you know how the story of Jonah in the belly of the whale ended, I can relate to it so much because no matter how much I run away from God He found me.

“He chased after me, he run after me and made sure that he brought me right here at this moment and I can say it was grace. Grace found me.”

She urged young people to embrace their true self and allow God influence their lifestyles.