Nigerian singer-songwriter Solana is shaping a sound she describes as “YoruPop”, combining Yoruba language and culture with pop and electronic music. Her breakthrough single, ‘Okunkun’, brings Afrobeats and Yoruba drums together with synth-pop, rock-inspired production and dancefloor energy.

Solana teased the track on social media in early June, and it drew attention from artists including Little Simz, SZA, Diplo and Tyla. She wrote it in 2023, but says resistance from people in the industry contributed to a period of anxiety and self-doubt before she decided to release it on her own terms.

The single is part of a wider creative direction that Solana says is centred on self-expression. She accepts the YoruPop label but sees it as just one part of her identity, rather than a complete description of her music. Her upcoming EP, ‘Girl From The West’, also includes the tracks ‘Dide’ and ‘O Rí Mi’ and is due out on November 13 via Since 93.

Much of the EP’s lyrics are in Yoruba, Solana’s mother tongue. She says the language’s tonal qualities shape the melodies, while the meanings of its words can shift with the emotion behind them. She hopes listeners who do not speak Yoruba will still enjoy the music, while those who understand it may have a different experience.

Solana’s influences include fuji music, which her mother introduced her to while growing up in Lagos State, as well as Nigerian musicians King Sunny Adé, Ebenezer Obey and Lagbaja, and international pop artists Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. She says she has explored styles ranging from trap and R&B to rap and pop, drawing on the sounds around her.

Her career began gathering momentum in 2020, when she joined Mr Eazi’s emPawa Africa initiative, which provided funding and mentoring. She released ‘Far Away’ with Joeboy, followed by ‘Badder’ in 2021 and ‘On My Way’ featuring Victony. With ‘Okunkun’ and the forthcoming EP, Solana is foregrounding Yoruba culture through both her music and visual work, much of which she films in Lagos markets, streets and on beaches.

Sources: NME.