A longtime backup singer of late Nigerian Juju and Highlife musician, Iyun Ajilore, popularly known as Saint Janet, has explained how the singer moved from gospel Juju to songs with sexually explicit themes.
The backup singer, Sunkanmi, popularly known as Suko, said Saint Janet adopted the style after discovering that it attracted larger audiences, more bookings and higher earnings at social events.
Suko, who said he worked with Saint Janet for more than 25 years, made the disclosure in an interview with Alejo TV on Tuesday.
He said he first met Saint Janet when she was still a backup singer for Nurse Kenge, while he worked as a freelance drummer.
According to him, he joined Saint Janet when she later formed her own band.
“She started with gospel Juju,” he said.
Suko said the singer initially blended Juju with gospel music, with the band holding rehearsals at a Celestial Church.
He recalled that their first studio recording received little attention despite the money invested in the project.
“We used to do our rehearsal in a Celestial Church. She started as a Juju and gospel mixture. Our first studio recording was interesting, but people did not really listen to it. She spent money on that particular project and the cassette became dusty under her bed,” he said.
Suko described Saint Janet as hardworking, saying she continued performing at weddings, bars and beer parlours despite struggling to attract audiences with her gospel-oriented performances.
He said the singer eventually experimented with a new style built around romantic and sexually suggestive themes commonly associated with social events.
According to him, Saint Janet began incorporating people and happenings at events into her songs as a form of entertainment.
“She used happenings in her song to create a form of entertainment. When she experimented with it, we got more money on stage,” he said.
Suko said the new style subsequently attracted more bookings from clubs and bars, boosting the band’s earnings.
He, however, stressed that Saint Janet did not completely abandon gospel music after embracing the new style.
“Still, she did not backslide from gospel music. She still got inspiration to sing gospel songs,” he said.
He recalled an incident at a wedding where Saint Janet was performing gospel songs before the bride’s family requested the newer style.
Suko said the band initially objected because children were present at the event, but the family insisted.
According to him, the response from the audience convinced Saint Janet that the new style had stronger commercial appeal.
“When she started singing the song, people started spraying and we made more money than when she was singing gospel songs at the wedding,” he said.
He added that some churches later invited the band to perform the explicit songs.
“We have gotten to some churches where they said we should sing those explicit-rated 18 songs,” Suko said.
Suko said he remained with Saint Janet’s band because their professional relationship had developed into a close family bond.
“I could not leave her band because we are close. We are now family,” he said.
He also recalled the singer’s final performance, saying Saint Janet publicly acknowledged his long-standing support during the event.
According to him, she asked the audience to acknowledge his contribution and later gave him her wristwatch and sprayed money on him.
“She so appreciated me, but not publicly on stage. Assuming I knew it was a goodbye, I would have just returned it and told her that it seemed you were going,” he said.
Saint Janet’s children had earlier revealed that the singer complained of chest pain and experienced breathing difficulties shortly before her death.
Her daughter, Omowunmi, said the musician had performed at a show in Sango, Ogun State, the night before her death without showing signs of illness.
She said Saint Janet went to the market the following day, returned home around 6 p.m. and began preparing a meal before developing chest pain and irregular breathing.
The singer subsequently asked to be taken to hospital, where she was admitted and placed on oxygen.
Her son, Orinayo, said medical personnel attended to her shortly after arrival but later discovered that she had lost her pulse.
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