
Veteran Nigerian Juju musician Oluwashina Akanbi Peters, widely known as Sir Shina Peters, has described timeless songs, commonly called classics, as the most valuable legacy any artist can leave behind.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Honest Bunch Podcast, the 67-year-old music icon said every musician aspires to have evergreen songs that remain relevant across generations.
According to him, his career is already fulfilled because he has produced four such enduring hits. He went on to make a bold comparison with the late American pop legend Michael Jackson.
“The only thing you can show for showbiz at the end is how many evergreens you have produced. To my credit, I have four evergreens. Even Michael Jackson has just two, Of The World and Thriller.
So, if I have four, I am accomplished,” he stated.
However, Sir Shina Peters also expressed concern about the current state of Nigeria’s music scene. He lamented that many of the artistic and professional standards set by his generation have been lost in the modern industry.
“Most of the standards we worked hard to build have been bastardised,” he said.
The Juju maestro, whose career spans over four decades, is celebrated for pioneering Afro-Juju, a fusion of Juju and Afrobeat, and remains one of Nigeria’s most influential music figures.