Waka music amazon, Alhaja (Queen) Salawa Abeni, is celebrating God’s faithfulness in her life as she turns 60 today May 5, 2021.
The Epe-Ijebu born “waka moderniser” started singing commercially from age 13, making her arguably the longest-serving active female musician of her age in Nigeria.
TCN gathered that the grandmother, who was crowned “Queen of Waka Music” by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi in 1992, is marking the day in a low-key affair with a handful of friends and family at her Lagos mainland residence.
Queen Salawa, TCN learnt, had planned to visit Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj where she was supposed to mark the date with special prayers but could not due to unforseen circumstances.
The singer, according to sources, will use the opportunity of the birthday occasion to feed the poor and those who visit her today would have special takehome packed food and choice drinks.
Queen Salawa, from Ijebu Waterside in Ogun State, rose to fame in 1976 when she released her debut album, ‘Late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed’ while she was signed to Leader Records.
QSA, as she is fondly called, is the first female recording artiste in Nigeria to ever sell over one million copies. Her son, Big Sheff, who she had for Fuji music Maestro, Alhaji Kollington Ayinla, is a rap artist.