My First Born’s Death Affected My Career Negatively – Salawa Abeni

Popular singer, Queen Salawa Abeni has come out to mourn the death of her first son who passed away 20 years ago.

She recently revealed that his departure from this earth caused a lot of pain in her life.

According to her, his death still feels like yesterday because it changed her entire life completely.

He added that the incident even affected her career negatively to the extent that people had to start asking if she was still a singer.

Her words, “Hmmm!! Today the 2nd of October makes it 20yrs that you left me. My first son Idris Olanrewaju Adefolajuwon Akanji Adepoju. It still feels like yesterday but it’s 20 years already. Your death caused alot of pains in my life. Lanre, your death changed my life completely, it also affected my career negatively to the extent that people ask me if I am still singing.”

R.I.P.

Salawa Abeni Alidu (born 5 May 1961) is a Nigerian singer. An Ijebu Yoruba from [Ijebu Waterside, in Ogun State, she began her professional career in waka music when she released her debut album titled, Late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed, in 1976, on Leader Records. It became the first recording by a female artist in Yoruba Songs to sell over a million copies in Nigeria.

Abeni continued recording for Leader until 1986, when she ended a relationship with the record label’s owner, Lateef Adepoju. She married Kollington Ayinla and joined his record label instead, staying with him until 1994.

She was crowned “Queen of Waka Music” by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi in 1992. Waka is an Islamic-influenced, traditional Yoruba music style, popularized by Batile Alake; it is a much older genre than jùjú and fuji.