The Role of Juju Music in Yoruba Wedding Ceremonies in Ogun State

This study examines the role of Juju music in Yoruba traditional wedding ceremonies in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. Juju music, characterised by its integration of Yoruba talking drum, electric guitar, and praise singing, occupies a prominent position in Yoruba celebratory culture and is a defining feature of the traditional engagement and wedding ceremony known as the Introduction. This research investigates how Juju musicians are engaged, the repertoire performed at wedding events, the communicative functions of praise songs, and the expectations of hosts and guests regarding musical performance. An ethnographic approach is adopted, with the researcher attending and observing five Yoruba traditional wedding ceremonies across Abeokuta, Sagamu, and Ijebu-Ode local government areas during the 2024 to 2025 ceremony season. Data are also gathered through structured interviews with Juju bandleaders, event planners, and wedding couples. Recent literature on music in life-cycle rituals, Yoruba performance studies, and popular music economics inform the theoretical framework. The study explores changes in Juju wedding repertoire driven by audience demand for Afrobeats fusion elements and their implications for traditional performance conventions. Findings will contribute to Yoruba music scholarship and the sociology of musical events in Nigerian ceremonial contexts. Keywords: Juju music, Yoruba wedding, Ogun State, ceremonial music, praise singing.