A backup singer of the late Nigerian Juju and Highlife musician, Iyun Ajilore, popularly known as Saint Janet, has explained why 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 more audience engagement, bookings and money at social events.
Suko, who said he had known Saint Janet for more than 25 years, made this known in an interview with Alejo TV on Tuesday.
He said he first met the singer when she was still a backup singer for Nurse Kenge, while he worked as a freelance drummer.
“I have known Saint Janet before she started singing. She used to be a backup singer for Nurse Kenge. I was a drummer then, so I worked with different people. When she decided to stand alone and create her own band, I decided to follow her.
‘She started with gospel Juju,” he said.
Suko said Saint Janet initially combined Juju with gospel music, with the band rehearsing at a Celestial Church.
“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.
According to him, Saint Janet was hardworking and continued performing at different events, including weddings, bars and beer parlours, but struggled to attract the desired audience with her gospel songs.
“She is someone who is hardworking a lot. Whether we were at a beer parlour performing or at a wedding, she was always working. When we went to bars, we did not really get the reception from the audience,” he said.
Suko said this pushed the singer to experiment with a different style that incorporated sexual themes and happenings at social events.
“So, she started and founded this explicit sexual style, like a pastor style, by using people at the event to preach in her song but romantically since it was a worldly setting,” he said.
He explained that Saint Janet would incorporate people and situations at events into her performances.
“Look at this woman, Aunty Adunni, and her husband, Mr Lagbaja, look at how they are kissing. 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.
According to him, the new style soon attracted more bookings from clubs and bars.
“Then she started getting bookings as a result of that from the clubs or bars, “he added.
Suko, however, stressed that Saint Janet did not completely abandon gospel music despite the success of her new style as at that time.
“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 asked her to perform her newer style.
“We once got to a wedding where she was singing gospel, but the bride’s family insisted that she sing the newly founded sound that resonated with people,” he said.
Suko said the band initially raised concerns because children were present at the event.
“We complained that kids were around, but they disagreed and said it was not a problem,” he said.
He said the response to the performance showed Saint Janet why the new style was becoming popular.
“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 even some churches requested the 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 of their close relationship, which had grown into a family bond.
“I could not leave her band because we are close. We are now family,” he said.
He also recalled Saint Janet’s final performance and said the singer appeared to appreciate his years of support.
According to him, during the performance, Saint Janet turned to him and said: “Help me greet Suko, he has been with me for the longest, he has supported me.”
Suko said she also 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.
PUNCH Online had reported that Saint Janet’s children revealed that the singer complained of chest pain and experienced difficulty breathing shortly before her death.
Her daughter, Omowunmi, said Saint Janet had performed at a show in Sango, Ogun State, the previous night without showing any sign of illness.
“She performed the previous night. People even celebrated her with applause. We did not suspect anything. After the show, we came home and slept. The show was overnight,” she said.
Omowunmi said the singer went to the market the following day and returned home around 6pm before preparing her own meal.
She said she later noticed her mother clutching her chest.
“After she finished cooking, she checked around the house to see if there was anything else for her to do. I later noticed she was holding her chest. She said she felt like something wanted to drop off her chest. Her breathing was no longer regular,” Omowunmi said.
The singer subsequently asked to be taken to hospital, where she was admitted and given oxygen.
Her son, Orinayo, said medical personnel attended to her shortly after she arrived but later discovered that she had lost her pulse.
Source: punchng.com
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