Biography of Segun Adewale

Segun Adewale (born 1955 in Oshogbo) is a Nigerian musician. He is considered the pioneer of Yo-pop, a mix of funk, jazz, juju, reggae, and Afro-beat. Born into a royal family, his father objected to his career in music so he left home and moved to Lagos, Nigeria where he met Juju musicians S.L. Atolagbe and I.K. Dairo. In the 1970's, Segun Adewale and Shina Peters both played with Prince Adekunle, a pioneer of Afrobeat Jùjú music. In 1977 Adewale, along with Shina Peters, formed a new group called Shina Adwale and the Superstars International. They released nine recordings but split in 1980 to form their own separate groups. By 1984 the music of Adewale had evolved into what is now described as Yo-Pop.