Today, on we celebrate the 62nd birthday of Salawa Abeni, a renowned Nigerian singer and songwriter hailing from Ijebu Waterside in Ogun State. Salawa commenced her professional music career in 1976 and released her debut album, “Late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed,” under the record label, Leader Records.
Salawa’s exceptional musical talent and hard work led her to become the first female Yoruba singer to sell over 1 million copies in Nigeria. In 1992, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, crowned her the Queen of Waka Music. Waka Music is a popular Islamic-oriented Yoruba musical genre popularized by Alhaja Batile Alake.