Akon claims he doesn’t know his true age

updated 5:24 p.m. ET Jan. 21, 2009

ATLANTA - Even though Akon has a birth certificate, he says his age is still a mystery — and he'd rather keep it that way. "All it's going to do is depress me," he told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "I don't want to know I'm getting older. Then I'll start to think about getting checkups and insurance. I don't want that."

Numerous reports have put his age between 25 to 35 years old. In 2006, he gave his age as 25. But now, he claims his birth certificate shows he was born on April 16, 1977, which would make him 31.

Some have accused Akon of trying to push back his age. But the singer, who was born in the United States but spent his early life in Senegal, where his family is from, says he never knew it.

“In Africa ... age is not important over there. They don’t care. People only focus on it here (America) and in Europe.”

Akon says when people ask, he just gives him a figure that comes to mind.

“I feel like I’m 21 right now,” he says. “And I’ll be 21 for the next 10 years.”

Akon went multiplatinum with his 2006 CD “Konvicted,” which included hits such as “Smack That” with Eminem and “Don’t Matter.” His most recent album, “Freedom,” was released in December.

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