United Kingdom, May 26 -- Akon has opened up about his polygamous family life.

Revealing his multiple wives work together within a strict relationship structure that places his first wife at the centre of the household, the singer, 53, whose hits including Lonely, Smack That and Beautiful made him one of the defining R and B stars of the 2000s, discussed his private life during an appearance on the We Need To Talk podcast.

Akon, who has previously spoken about believing in polygamy and confirmed in earlier interviews that he has nine children, said he remains the "only man" in his relationships and would not disclose exactly how many wives he has.

The comments come months after reports emerged Tomeka Thiam, believed to be Akon's first ...