Yeye Taiwo Lijadu interview: “We are the mouthpieces of the masses”

Taiwo Lijadu, the remaining Lijadu sister after the passing of her twin Kehinde in 2019, is at home in New York. With the upcoming reissues of the Lijadu Sister’s discography, Taiwo explains her plans to announce the first record, Horizon Unlimited. “I am going to do something on Facebook and YouTube. Maybe a video where I wear the T-shirt and the hat and hold up the albums.”

This DIY approach is a hallmark of the sisters’ career. After growing dissatisfaction with their record label’s management, they used their own money to fund the production of Horizon Unlimited, paying for recording and rehearsal fees themselves. Despite never receiving reimbursement, they felt having more control over their music was more important. “It was our property, it was us,” Taiwo explains. “And if they were not going to do the right thing, we did the right thing.”

The strength to fight for their creative agency came from the belief that, as musicians, they had a duty to represent voices that may not have been heard. A belief held by many artists today – that their platform was an opportunity to call for change. “We are the mouthpieces of the masses,” Taiwo says. “It is a calling. You are responsible for what you put out and make sure that it is not what will win people but will call their attention [to those unheard voices]. It’s what they could not say outwardly to the government or to the world that we’re saying for them.”

The ‘masses’ played an essential role in the development of the twins’ music. Taiwo recounts how they would test their songs by sharing them with family members, many of whom were musicians themselves, before inviting neighbours and the public to offer feedback. “When our music came out, we found that people would love it because of the contribution of the other people, our people, to the spirit [of the music].”

The sisters were some of few women in the Nigerian music scene when Horizon Unlimited was originally released. Taiwo says they predicted that would change, just as it has in recent years with an explosion of African women on the global music stage, many of whom cite the Lijadu Sisters as inspiration. “I said [then] that I would not be surprised if in five years we have more women in show business than men, which in many ways has happened. I’m happy that me and my twin sister [had an influence].”

Taiwo acknowledges the greatness of navigating her music career with her late sister, Kehinde, noting that it was a meaningful journey not just for herself, but for the world at large. “And it is still the best thing happening to the world,” she said. “Because she has not left. Her body is not here. Her spirit is here. Her voice will continuously be here. I’m grateful to our creator who put us together and allowed us to [make music], and I’m still going to continue doing it with my sister beside me.”

This article originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of Songlines. Never miss an issue – subscribe today