Twins Taiwo and Kehinde were born in Jos, in northern Nigeria, on October 22, 1948. In Yoruba, ”Taiwo” means "the first twin to taste the world”, and ”Kehinde” "the second-born of the twins”, “the chaperone” or “the one who comes after Taiwo”. Though Taiwo is the firstborn, it is believed that Kehinde is the elder twin, sending Taiwo into the world first to determine if it is time to be born. The names are given to both boys and girls.

Taiwo and Kehinde enjoyed singing from an early age, encouraged by their mother, Adelaide Efunyemi Lijadu, who bought them records by a wide range of local and overseas artists such as Aretha Franklin, Miriam Makeba, Ray Charles and later, Fela Kuti. Through their father, Edmund Funso Lijadu, the sisters were second cousins to Fela, as well Nobel Prize winning writer and political activist, Wole Soyinka.

One of the most popular acts in the Nigerian music scene of the 1970s, The Lijadu Sisters produced a handful of albums showcasing their tight harmonies and inventive incorporation of synthesizers and modern pop forms into funky Afro-beat grooves. Beginning as backing vocalists for studio sessions, the sisters eventually released a single in 1968 under their own name titled Iya Mi Jowo. In 1971, still working as session singers, the sisters met Cream/Africa 70 drummer Ginger Baker, and performed with Baker's band Salt at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

 “Oh… it was so awesome performing there. We had met Eric Clapton in England through Ginger, and also Jimi Hendrix’ mother. She then came to visit us in the Olympic Village following our performance there. As we were walking together to see her off in the village, we suddenly heard “BOOM!”, and it was the bombs from the terrorist attack. We then just took off  from there, as fast as we could” Taiwo recalls.

With the assistance of multi-instrumentalist and producer Biddy Wright, the Lijadu Sisters would make four albums for Decca's Afrodisia imprint: 1976's Danger, 1977's Mother Africa, 1978's Sunshine, and 1979's Horizon Unlimited. These vibrant collisions of pop, reggae, and Afro-beat influences defined the sisters' unique hybrid sound and rocketed them to immense popularity in Nigeria, as well as gaining them the attention of a broader audience internationally.

Throughout the '80s, their reach grew overseas, including appearances on British television and a repackaging of earlier songs in the form of U.S. label Shanachie's 1984 collection Double Trouble, as well as numerous visits to the United States for performances. By 1988, the sisters had relocated permanently to the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn, with several offers of record deals on the table. Nothing panned out with any of these offers, however, the two shifted their focus gradually from music to deepening their practice of their Yoruba religion and the herbal remedies related to it.

In 1996, Kehinde suffered severe spinal injuries as a result of a fall down a flight of stairs. Recovery was long and painful, and all efforts formerly put toward creative endeavors were redirected to overcoming Kehinde's medical issues. In the years that followed, the sisters stayed out of the public eye completely, turning down all interviews and other press requests. Several of the duo's tracks popped up in the 2000s, including "Life's Gone Down Low," which appeared on a Luaka Bop compilation and was also sampled without clearance by New York rapper Nas. In the early part of the 2010s, after rejecting many labels seeking to reissue their work, the Lijadu Sisters agreed to work with Knitting Factory Records, who re-released all four of the sisters' classic late-'70s Afro-beat albums.

In the evening of Friday, November 8, Kehinde Lolade Lijadu, passed away at their home in New York City. Kehinde had two children, Enitan Izevbekhan and Adekunle Adelekan. She left behind her sister Taiwo Lijadu in New York City, her brother Ayodele Lijadu, her sister Irene Idowu Gbenro, (Taiwo’s children Ayodeji and Ayobami Olatunde), and an extensive family in Nigeria, United Kingdom, France and the United States.