A-ARTs: Kehinde of Lijadu Sisters dies today, in US

Kehinde Lijadu

Kehinde of the twin Lijadu Sisters musical fame, died in New York, US, on Saturday, November, 9, aged 71.

The news of Kehinde’s death, according to sources, was broken by her twin sister, Taiwo.

Kehinde, who was said to have been battling stroke, reigned as icons, along with her identical sister, on the Nigerian musical scene from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s.
The sisters released their first debut single ‘Iya Mi Jowo’ in 1969 under Decca Records. Among their hits were ‘Danger’ (1976), ‘Sunshine’ (1978), and ‘Horizon Unlimited’ (1979).

In 2014, Lijadu Sisters announced their planned comeback, but that dream was never realized. After their last album ‘Orere Elijigbo’ in 1997, for decades, the singers were out of circulation as sources hinted that they went into religious mode.

About two decades after, they returned to the stage in the U.K and performed with Damon Albarn, Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and Kele Okereke.

Other performances that followed include ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ together with the Atomic! Bomb Band and proceeded on a tour to New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles in May 2014.

Lijadu Sisters

Lijadu Sisters were born on september 18, 1948, in Jos Plateasu State and had their childhood in Ibadan. The came to fame singing in Yoruba and English lyrics with Afrobeat fusion.

Ancient diaspora connection to Yoruba name origin