Salawa Abeni was born on May 5, 1961. She hails from the Ijebu Yoruba ethnic group in Ijebu Waterside, Ogun State.
During her childhood, she received only basic education, as her father had no faith in educating women.
Since the 1970s, Abeni has been celebrated as a pioneer and figurehead of the women’s singing and percussion genre referred to as ‘Waka,’ which closely aligns with ‘Juju,’ ‘Apala,’ and ‘Fuji,’ the male-dominated genres.
‘Waka’ is a traditional Yoruba music style influenced by Islamic elements.
At the age of 10, Abeni entered the Lagos branch of the Local Leader Recording Label and sought permission to perform a demo tape.
The producer, considering it to be a jest, placed her tape on his desk and quickly overlooked it, only to be jolted back to reality upon hearing the same 10-year-old girl sing at a social gathering in Epe, with an impressively rich and persuasive mature voice.
Without delay, with her parents’ consent, he brought her to his studio to record her debut track, ‘Late Murtala Muhammed,’ which paid homage to the recently assassinated Head of State.
This song went on to become one of the top-selling Nigerian tracks of that period.
In 1977, Abeni established ‘The Waka Modernisers,’ ultimately becoming one of Nigeria’s most prosperous artists during the 80s and remaining the group’s leader until 1985, producing over 14 albums during that time.
In the mid-80s, following a dispute with Fuji icon Kollington, Abeni released several songs mocking Kollington, his appearance, and his family, which some considered to be a publicity tactic.
In 1985, Abeni produced a tribute album for Haruna Ishola, eventually reconciling with Kollington and joining his label from 1986 to 1994, where she released ten albums under the label.
Abeni is the first-ever female recording artist to sell more than a million copies in Nigeria with her debut album. In 1992, she was honored as The Queen of Waka Music by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi.
She had a child with the late Lateef Adepoju, who was the owner of the Leader Record label, but they parted ways. She subsequently married Fuji musician Alhaji Kollington Ayinla, widely known as Kollington, and they had three children, one of whom, Sheriff, pursues a career in Hip Hop. Ayinla and Kollington separated in 1994.
