In a Channels TV interview about her career, Aralola Olamuyiwa, better known by her stage name Ara, disclosed this information.

She claimed that the men refused to teach her how to play the drums, so she had to learn by watching them play.

“I learned how to play the talking drum by watching the guys play because they refused to teach me. So, I watched them play. I bought the music of people that I look up to in the industry,”

She also mentioned that in order to improve her craft and broaden her artistic horizons, she had to listen to a variety of sounds performed by seasoned Nigerian musicians.

“My father had a huge collection from Fela to Ayinla Omo Wura to Yusuf Olatunji to King Sunny Ade and everybody. So I learned to play with them. I listened to even Lagbaja when I was learning how to play because I love Lagbaja a lot. So I listened to all of their music and I trained my ear to listen differently and play differently.”

Ara is a female singer, entertainer, talking drummer, and cultural ambassador for the Ooni of Ife. Her career spans more than two decades.She is Africa's most prominent female drummer.