Waka Queen Salawa Abeni Opens Up on Diabolical Attacks She Faced at the Start of Her Music Career

• Waka Queen Salawa Abeni opened up about the hardships she faced as a teenage girl breaking into Nigeria's music industry in the 1970s
• The legendary musician described a series of mysterious incidents she believes were orchestrated by jealous rivals early in her career
• Salawa reflected on her journey from an average individual to one of Nigeria's most celebrated cultural figures

Veteran musician Salawa Abeni Alidu, widely celebrated as the Queen of Waka, has opened up about the terrifying ordeals she endured at the start of her career, including what she described as deliberate, spiritually motivated attacks by envious rivals.

The interview aired on Sunday, September 6, 2026, on Channels TV's Rubbin' Minds saw the music veteran went back in time.

Salawa, who released her debut album in 1976, revealed she was barely 13 years old when she first developed her passion for music. She recalled gathering with neighbourhood children during moonlit nights to play and sing, while secretly pressing her face against a neighbour's window every night to listen to a Yoruba radio programme where songs were played.

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"I said, one day should be one day, me too. I want to be a musician. I like to sing so that people will be calling me Salawa," she recalled, adding that she took that private wish as a prayer and believed God answered it.

Sabotage, Rain and Vomiting Blood

Despite her growing popularity among audiences, Salawa said the climb was anything but smooth. Rival performers, she claimed, went to extraordinary lengths to silence her. On one occasion, she alleged that her microphone amplifier was deliberately tampered with so that no one in the crowd could hear her voice.

On another, she said rain fell exclusively over her section of the performance space, scattering her audience while the rest of the stage remained dry.

She also revealed that the intense pressure left her physically ill, saying she would sometimes vomit blood before performances. When pressed on the cause, she was direct: "How am I going to say it in Yoruba? In English is jealousy." She firmly rejected the idea that the incidents were mere superstition, insisting the attacks were real and deliberate.

"It is by God's grace," she said, reflecting on how she survived it all.

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In related news, Legit.ng reported that Salawa Abeni recalled her first meeting with late actor Taiwo Hassan Ogogo.

Watch Salawa Abeni's full Rubbin' Minds interview on Channels TV below:

Comments about Salawa Abeni

The interview sparked an outpouring of admiration and commentary on Twitter.

@OlumideOS wrote:

"Queen Salawa remains one of Nigeria's most remarkable cultural figures, a teenage trailblazer who turned Waka music into a national force, sold a million records when few women in the industry even got the chance. She has carried herself with dignity through decades."

@samalkane shared:

"What a journey for Abeni. A destiny can never be withdrawn. A real woman. As per her speech, with 0 educational background, she did well with that interview."

@NaijaMilanista noted:

"Her English is so so much better than it was some years back."

Salawa Abeni reacts to Asake's song

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Salawa Abeni trended on social media for jumping on Asake’s Fuji Vibes song.

The YBNL crooner’s new album, Lungu Boy, includes many songs that won many fans over, including Fuji Vibes, which has now caught Salawa Abeni’s attention.

The Waka queen took to her page to post a video of herself singing her version of Asake’s Fuji Vibes.

Source: Legit.ng