The late Juju and Highlife musician, Iyun Ajilore, popularly known as Saint Janet, did not abandon gospel Juju simply for a change of musical direction, but according to her longtime backup singer, Sunkanmi, popularly known as Suko, the shift was largely influenced by audience response and the financial opportunities that came with her new sound.
Suko, who said he spent more than 25 years working with Saint Janet, explained that the singer initially built her career around gospel Juju before discovering that songs centred on sexual themes and happenings at social gatherings generated stronger reactions from audiences.
He made the revelation during an interview with Alejo TV on Tuesday, where he reflected on his long association with the late musician, her evolution as a performer and the circumstances surrounding the development of the style that later became associated with her.
According to Suko, he met Saint Janet before she established herself as a solo performer. At the time, she was working as a backup singer for Nurse Kenge, while he was a freelance drummer working with different musicians.
“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.
‘Her first recording became dusty’
Suko said Saint Janet's early musical career was strongly influenced by gospel, noting that the band rehearsed at a Celestial Church after she formed her own group.
“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.
The experience, he explained, was frustrating for a young musician trying to establish herself. However, Saint Janet did not give up. She continued accepting engagements and performing at various social functions, including weddings, bars and beer parlours.
Suko described her as a determined performer who was willing to work regardless of the type of venue or audience.
“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.
According to him, it was the reaction from audiences at such events that eventually influenced Saint Janet's decision to experiment with a different form of entertainment.
How the explicit style emerged
Suko said Saint Janet began incorporating sexually suggestive themes and situations involving members of the audience into her songs, creating a style that was different from the gospel-oriented music with which she started.
“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 rather than relying solely on prepared lyrics, Saint Janet observed what was happening around her and incorporated those situations 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.
The approach, Suko said, changed the band's fortunes. What had initially been an experiment soon became a major attraction at social events, with more people responding to the performances and more organisers seeking to book the band.
“Then she started getting bookings as a result of that from the clubs or bars,” he added.
Gospel music was not abandoned
Despite the success of the new sound, Suko stressed that Saint Janet did not completely turn her back on gospel music.
“Still, she did not backslide from gospel music. She still got inspiration to sing gospel songs,” he said.
He recalled one particular wedding where Saint Janet had begun performing gospel songs before the bride's family requested that she switch to the newer style that had become popular with audiences.
“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.
The request reportedly raised concerns among members of the band 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.
Suko said the audience's reaction during the performance reinforced the commercial value of the new style.
“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 the popularity of the songs extended beyond clubs and social gatherings, claiming that some churches also requested the music.
“We have gotten to some churches where they said we should sing those explicit-rated 18 songs,” Suko said.
A relationship that became family
Beyond their professional relationship, Suko said his association with Saint Janet developed into a close personal bond over the years.
He said he remained with her band even as the musician's career evolved because of the relationship they had built.
“I could not leave her band because we are close. We are now family,” he said.
Suko also recalled what he described as Saint Janet's final performance and said the singer appeared to recognise his long-standing commitment to her career.
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 the musician subsequently 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.
Children recall her final hours
Meanwhile, reports surrounding Saint Janet's death have also focused on her health in the hours before she died.
Her children had said the musician complained of chest pain and experienced difficulty breathing shortly before she was taken to hospital.
Her daughter, Omowunmi, said Saint Janet had performed at a show in Sango, Ogun State, the previous night and appeared healthy throughout the performance.
“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 at about 6pm, after which she prepared her own meal.
She later noticed that her mother was 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.
Saint Janet 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 she arrived, but later discovered that she had lost her pulse.
The accounts from her longtime bandmate and children offer contrasting but complementary pictures of Saint Janet: a performer who continually adapted her music to the demands of her audience, while also maintaining her connection to the gospel roots that marked the beginning of her career.