00:00She was one of the biggest voices in Nigerian pop music.
00:04A song filled the airwaves, her career was soaring, but then came the phone call that changed everything.
00:10Selamunye emerged at a defining moment in Nigerian music in the early 1980s,
00:16an era when record labels like EMI and the Tabansi were shaping the country's biggest style.
00:22Then came Mr. Right, her debut album in 1983, with its Okomye.
00:37A song that turned Selamunye into a household name, her sound was unmistakable by every band.
00:46A vibrant blend of African rhythm and pop that resonated far beyond the Nigerian bodies.
00:51Selamunye toured across Europe, performing alongside South African legend Miriam Makiba
00:58and became one of the women quietly laying the foundation for what African pop music would one day become.
01:06But just as her career was gathering on stopping momentum, everything changed.
01:11While Selamunye was away on a music engagement,
01:14a news came that her son Ibrahim had been involved in a near-fatal accident.
01:19The woman who had spent years chasing audiences across continents, suddenly found herself chasing hope
01:25through hospital corridors. From Lagos to India to New York, the stage life faded into operating theaters,
01:33concert tours gave way to surgeries, and one of Nigeria's brightest star made a choice few ever saw coming.
01:41She chose motherhood over music. She chose motherhood over a career and fame.
01:48For years, she disappeared from the spotlight, not because the audience stopped listening, but because life called her somewhere else.
01:57Today, Selamunye is writing a new chapter. She has embraced the digital era with songs like
02:03Ipipipedni, while remaining one of the strongest advocates for meaningful, message-driven music.
02:11She has challenged a new generation of artists to create songs that outlive trends, and has even expressed
02:19the desire to collaborate with contemporary artists like Ashake and Benson. That's to tell you our
02:24generations were no small man. Selamunye's story was never about just making its music or its records.
02:31It was about staying true to our hearts, staying true to our family, and proving that some legacies
02:36aren't measured by how long you stay in the spotlight, but by the lives you touch long after it fades.
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