Iyun Ajilore, better known by his stage name Saint Janet, was a backup vocalist for the late Nigerian Juju and Highlife performer. The singer’s transition from gospel Juju to sexually explicit songs has been explained.
Sunkanmi, also known as Suko, the backup vocalist, claimed that Saint Janet adopted the style after realizing that it increased attendance, reservations, and revenue at social gatherings.
In an interview with Alejo TV on Tuesday, Suko said that he has known Saint Janet for over 25 years.
He claimed that while he was a freelance drummer, he first got to know the singer when she was still Nurse Kenge’s support vocalist.
“Even before she began singing, I knew Saint Janet. She was once Nurse Kenge’s backing vocalist. I worked with a variety of folks back then since I was a drummer. I chose to follow her when she made the decision to go it alone and start her own band.
“She began with gospel Juju,” he remarked.
According to Suko, Saint Janet first mixed gospel and juju music while the band was practicing at a celestial church.
“In the past, we practiced in a celestial church. She began as a combination of gospel and Juju. Although our initial studio recording was intriguing, not many people actually listened to it. The cassette got dusty under her bed after she spent money on that specific endeavor, he claimed.
He claimed that although Saint Janet was diligent and continued to sing at various venues, such as weddings, pubs, and beer parlors, her gospel songs were unable to draw in the intended crowd.
She is someone who works really hard. She was constantly working, whether we were at a wedding or a beer bar. “We didn’t really get the audience’s reaction when we went to bars,” he remarked.
According to Suko, this encouraged the singer to try out a new sound that included sexual themes and incidents at social gatherings.
He explained, “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 because it was a worldly setting.”
He clarified that Saint Janet would incorporate attendees and events into her performances.
“Observe how Aunty Adunni and her husband, Mr. Lagbaja, are kissing. She created a kind of entertainment by utilizing events in her song. We made more money on stage when she tried it,” he remarked.
He recalled a wedding where Saint Janet was singing gospel songs until the bride’s family asked her to switch to a more modern style.
“She was singing gospel at a wedding once, but the bride’s family insisted that she sing the newly discovered sound that resonated with people,” he said.
As stated by Suko, the band first voiced reservations over the presence of youngsters at the concert.
He claimed, “We complained about the presence of children, but they disagreed and said it was not a problem.”
The reaction to the performance, he claimed, demonstrated to Saint Janet why the new look was gaining traction.
“People started spraying when she started singing the song, and we made more money than when she was singing gospel songs at the wedding,” he remarked.
Even some churches asked for the songs, he continued.
Suko stated, “We have reached some churches where they said we should sing those explicit-rated eighteen songs.”
He claimed that the reason he stayed with Saint Janet’s band was their strong friendship, which had developed into a family.
We are so close that I was unable to leave her band. He declared, “We are now family.”
He also mentioned Saint Janet’s farewell show and mentioned how the singer seemed to value his years of encouragement.
He claims that Saint Janet turned to face him during the performance and said, “Help me greet Suko, he has been with me for the longest, he has supported me.”
Suko claimed that she also showered him with cash and gave him her wristwatch.
“She really valued me, but not in front of the audience on stage. I would have simply given it back and informed her that it appeared you were leaving if I had known it was a farewell,” he remarked.
According to reports, Saint Janet’s children disclosed that just before she passed away, the singer complained of breathing difficulties and chest pain.
Saint Janet performed at a gig in Sango, Ogun State, the nite before without displaying any symptoms of illness, according to her daughter Omowunmi.
“She gave a performance the nite before. She was even applauded by the crowd. We had no suspicions. We went home and slept after the show. “The show was overnight,” she remarked.
The singer went to the market the next day, according to Omowunmi, and came home at around six o’clock before making her own dinner.
Later, she added, she saw her mother clutching her chest.
“She looked about the home to see if there was anything more she could do after cooking. Later, I saw that she was clutching her chest. Something seemed to want to fall off her chest, she claimed. Her respiration had become irregular, according to Omowunmi.
After that, the singer requested to be brought to the hospital, where she was admitted and given oxygen.
Orinayo, her son, stated that although medical staff treated her as soon as she arrived, they subsequently found that she had lost her pulse.
