Salawa Abeni Reveals Shocking Ordeals: ‘Diabolical Attacks’ Nearly Drove Me Out of Music

Waka music legend Salawa Abeni has revealed that jealousy and what she described as “diabolical” attacks from some senior colleagues nearly ended her career when she was still a young and emerging musician.

The 65-year-old singer, widely celebrated as the “Queen of Waka Music,” made the disclosure while speaking on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Minds, where she recounted some of the frightening experiences she allegedly encountered during the early years of her career.

Abeni began her professional music career in 1976, releasing her breakthrough debut album, Late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed. She said her passion for music, however, started much earlier, when she was just nine years old.

According to the veteran musician, she often performed alongside older musicians who invited her to join them. Because of her young age and small stature, she had to stand on a stool to reach the microphone.

She recalled that, on some occasions, she would suddenly lose her voice whenever it was her turn to perform, while at other times she allegedly vomited blood.

“When it was time for me, they would give me a stool to stand on so my mouth could reach the microphone. So when it was time for me to sing, my brother, my voice would go. I couldn’t sing. Sometimes I would even vomit blood.”

Abeni said she endured the experiences because she regarded her musical journey as a long one filled with obstacles. She attributed some of the difficulties to jealousy among older musicians who may have felt threatened by the attention she was receiving despite her young age.

She explained that audiences sometimes abandoned established performers to watch her whenever she arrived at a performance venue, a development she believed generated resentment among some of her senior colleagues.

The singer said she was reluctant to describe such experiences as merely superstition, insisting that, from her perspective, the incidents were evidence of deliberate “diabolical” acts.

Abeni recounted one particular incident involving an amplifier used by her band. She said her band had waited backstage while another group completed its performance, but when it was finally her turn to sing, the equipment allegedly malfunctioned in a way that prevented the audience from hearing her voice.

She explained that the amplifier at the time connected the microphones and helped project the singers’ voices, but claimed that when she began her performance, nobody could hear her.

“That’s another one again,” she said, describing the incident as one of the obstacles she faced.

In another disturbing recollection, Abeni said she experienced an unusual downpour at a performance venue precisely when it was her turn to perform.

She explained that because she was very young and short, she had to remain standing so that she could reach the microphone. According to her, although she was sitting close to the other performers and the weather had not affected them, rain suddenly began falling around the spot where she was standing.

The singer said the unexpected rainfall caused members of the audience who had come specifically to watch her perform to leave the area.

“Oh my God, from my own side, as we sat beside each other, very close like this, rain suddenly started falling right where I was standing, so that people who wanted to watch Salawa Abeni would run away. It is tough.”

Despite the challenges, Abeni remained in the music industry and went on to establish herself as one of Nigeria’s most recognisable waka musicians.

Over several decades, she has released numerous songs and albums and built a career spanning generations of Nigerian music. Among her notable works are “Iba Omode Iba Agba,” “Shooting Stars,” “We Are The Children,” “Maradonna,” “Cheer Up,” and “Beware.”

Her latest revelation offers another glimpse into the less-publicised struggles faced by pioneering Nigerian female musicians, particularly performers who entered the industry at a very young age and had to navigate intense competition and professional rivalries.

For Global Mirror News, Abeni’s account also highlights the difficult and sometimes deeply personal experiences that can lie behind the longevity of celebrated music careers. Her allegations, however, remain her personal account of events from the early stages of her career.