![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/cc280574-the-lijadu-sisters.jpg\")
<\/h4>\n<\/h4>\nKehinde Lijadu, one half of the legendary Lijadu Sisters duo, has died following a cancer battle. Aged 71, she was said to have suffered a stroke, after a long battle with illness. The news was announced by her twin sister and bandmate, Taiwo, who expressed deep sorrow, writing that, \u201cA tree has fallen! Kehinde was my light, my love, my soul mate\u2026 my everything. I am bereft and will miss her dearly.\u201d\u00a0A\u00a0<\/span><\/span>GoFundMe<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0h<\/span>as been started to crowdsource for her Memorial Service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This great loss has drawn condolences from the public, amongst fans and friends alike. Tee Mac, the renowned flautist who made music with them wrote on social media, that \u201cKehinde Lijadu left us and sings in heaven now.\u201d Others, like the writer and movie director Biyi Bandele have also shared heartfelt tributes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Anyone remotely familiar with Nigerian music of the 70s must have come across the name Lijadu Sisters. Made up of identical twin sisters Taiwo and Kehinde, the group found massive mainstream success, making music that incorporated varying genres like reggae, soul, disco and psychedelic rock. Their themes were politically-charged, though they did make music that was socially relevant, and engaged in the trivialities of their time.<\/p>\n They earned international acclaim in 1976 when their hit single, \u201cDanger,\u201d saw them touring in the UK and made them the first female exports out of Nigeria, with no male retinue or male band mates. Around this period, they would work with musical royalty: King Sunny Ade and Jimi Solanke. They also performed with Ginger Baker & Salt at the World Music Festival during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.<\/p>\n The Lijadu Sisters, who grew up in Ibadan, were highly popular in Nigeria in the 1970s and mid-1980s. Their faces were constant features on radio and TV at the time. In the mid 80s, they relocated to the US and lived in seclusion, and almost never made music again. They would later become priestesses, but not before there was some renewed appreciation in their music this decade. This brought reissues of their music and performances alongside stars such as David Byrne, Damon Albarn, and Hot Chip\u2019s Alexis Taylor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To commemorate the timeless music of The Lijadu Sisters, and to celebrate the life of Kehinde Lijadu, we pick five essential listens from their discography.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n