Saint Janet Switched From Gospel to Explicit Songs, Says Backup Singer
A longtime backup singer for the late Nigerian Juju and Highlife musician, Iyun Ajilore, popularly known as Saint Janet, has explained why the entertainer transitioned from performing gospel Juju to music built around sexually explicit and romantic themes, saying the shift was primarily driven by audience demand and financial reward.
The backup singer, Sunkanmi, popularly known as Suko, made the disclosure during an interview with Alejo TV published on Tuesday, describing a professional relationship with Saint Janet that spanned more than 25 years. Suko said he first met the singer while she was working as a backup vocalist for another performer, Nurse Kenge, at a time when he himself worked as a freelance drummer for various acts. When Saint Janet eventually decided to break out and form her own band, Suko said he chose to join her.
According to Suko, Saint Janet was known for her strong work ethic, regularly performing at weddings, bars, and beer parlours regardless of the setting. However, he explained that her gospel-oriented material consistently struggled to generate the kind of audience reception and engagement she was hoping for at these social events, despite her consistent effort and dedication to performing.
That lack of response, Suko said, ultimately pushed Saint Janet to experiment with a markedly different musical style, one built around romantic and sexually explicit themes woven into real-time commentary about people and situations unfolding at the events where she performed. He described the approach as a kind of “pastor style,” in which she would use guests present at an event as material for her songs, framing everyday interactions in explicitly romantic and suggestive terms suited to the informal, worldly setting of a party or wedding reception.
Suko recalled one particularly telling moment at a wedding, where Saint Janet had been performing her usual gospel material before the bride’s family specifically requested she switch to her newer, more explicit songs. Members of the band reportedly hesitated and raised concerns given that children were present at the event, but the family insisted there was no issue and encouraged her to proceed. According to Suko, the audience’s response to the explicit-themed songs was overwhelming, with significantly more money sprayed on stage that night compared to what the band typically earned performing gospel material, a pattern that soon translated into a steady rise in club and bar bookings for the group.
Despite the shift, Suko stressed that Saint Janet never fully abandoned gospel music altogether, noting that she continued to receive creative inspiration for gospel songs and would still perform them on occasions when she felt moved to do so. He added that, somewhat surprisingly, some religious gatherings had also gone on to invite the band to perform the newer, more explicit material despite its adult themes.
The revelations come days after news broke that Saint Janet had died following a brief illness, a development that has prompted renewed public reflection on the singer’s career, her unfiltered performance style, and the controversial reputation that came to define much of her later work within Nigeria’s Juju and Highlife music scene.
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