A band member on Tuesday, 12 August, 2026 has revealed why the late famous Nigerian Juju and Highlife musician, Iyun Ajilore, popularly addressed as Saint Janet, switched from singing gospel music to lewd songs, reports thegazellenews.com
A backup singer of the late musician spoke on her switch from gospel to lewd songs on Tuesday.
The backup singer, Sunkanmi, popularly known as Suko, in an interview with Alejo TV on Tuesday, 12 August, 2026, revealed that 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, 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 just as he also added that the late musician 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 hard-working 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,” Suko said, just as he also 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 Suko, 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, just as he also 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,” the former back-up to the late singer said.
According to Suko, 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, adding 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,” Suko said.
