Nigerian singer-songwriter SOLANA is developing a distinctive place within contemporary African music, bringing Yoruba language and traditional musical influences together with electronic pop, Afrobeats and R&B. Her sound, widely described as YoruPop, draws on the music she grew up hearing in Lagos while allowing space for experimentation beyond conventional genre boundaries.
Her breakthrough single, “Okunkun”, introduced that approach to a wider audience in 2026. Built around Yoruba percussion, bright synthesisers and an energetic dance rhythm, the track attracted attention on social media before reaching listeners internationally. Its success has also brought greater recognition to SOLANA’s work as a songwriter, vocalist and artist with a clearly defined visual identity.
With her debut EP, Girl From The West, scheduled for release on 13 November through Since ’93, SOLANA is entering a new stage of a career that has been developing for several years. The project brings together the cultural influences, personal experiences and musical experimentation that have become central to her work.
From Lagos to YoruPop
Born and raised in Lagos, SOLANA grew up surrounded by Yoruba music. Her mother introduced her to artists including King Sunny Adé and Ebenezer Obey, while the music of Lagbaja also became part of her early influences. Alongside these Nigerian musicians, she listened to international pop artists such as Rihanna and Nicki Minaj, developing an interest in music that crossed several styles.
That range of influences has been present throughout her career. In 2020, SOLANA became part of Mr Eazi’s emPawa Africa talent initiative, which provided support and mentorship for emerging African artists. She subsequently collaborated with Joeboy on “Far Away” and released songs including “Badder” and “On My Way”, featuring Victony.
Those early recordings explored Afrobeats, R&B and melodic pop, but her more recent releases have made the relationship between Yoruba culture and contemporary production increasingly prominent.
“Okunkun”, produced with her longtime collaborator Killertunes, marked a significant development. The song was written in 2023 but remained unreleased after SOLANA encountered doubts about its commercial direction. She later decided to share it on her own terms, teasing the track online in June 2026. The response helped introduce her to a wider audience, with artists including SZA, Little Simz and Tyla among those who took notice.
The title translates to “darkness” in Yoruba, but the song’s central message is about moving beyond difficult experiences. Its contrast between reflective lyrics and energetic production demonstrates SOLANA’s interest in allowing different emotions and musical influences to exist within the same recording.
YoruPop is the term increasingly associated with her musical approach. It brings together Yoruba language, rhythms and cultural references with elements of modern pop and electronic music. The connection is more extensive than simply singing Yoruba lyrics over contemporary production: vocal phrasing, percussion and melody all contribute to the musical identity.
In an interview with The Nation, SOLANA explained that the sound involves the rhythm, melodies and cultural character of Yoruba music as much as the language itself.
She has also resisted treating YoruPop as a fixed category. Speaking to NME, she described it as one part of a much wider creative identity, reflecting her interest in experimenting with different sounds rather than working within a single genre.
This approach is particularly relevant to the continuing development of African pop. While Afrobeats has gained a substantial international audience, artists such as SOLANA are demonstrating the possibilities of working with specific languages and regional musical traditions. STORY has previously explored the international growth of the scene in its feature on six leading Afrobeats artists.
SOLANA’s identity is also reflected in her visuals. Her colourful hairstyles, patterned clothing and styling draw attention to her personality, while music videos and visualisers filmed around Lagos place local environments at the centre of her presentation. Markets, streets and other familiar settings become part of the imagery accompanying her music, reinforcing the cultural connections already present in the recordings.
Girl From The West and What Comes Next
Following “Okunkun”, SOLANA released “Dide” and “O Rí Mi”, developing the sound established by her breakthrough single. Both tracks continue her collaboration with Killertunes, whose production has played an important role in shaping the combination of percussion, synthesised textures and contemporary pop melodies.
“Dide” places greater emphasis on rhythmic energy, while “O Rí Mi” introduces a more emotionally reflective side of her songwriting. Together, they demonstrate how YoruPop can accommodate different moods without losing the musical influences that connect the recordings.
The forthcoming Girl From The West EP is expected to bring these ideas into a more complete body of work. Much of SOLANA’s songwriting is performed in Yoruba, a tonal language in which changes in pronunciation and emphasis can affect meaning. For the singer, that relationship between language and melody is part of the music’s creative potential.
Her growing recognition has extended beyond individual releases. In October 2026, Spotify selected SOLANA as its EQUAL Africa Artist of the Month, an initiative supporting women’s representation within the music industry. The recognition followed the response to “Okunkun” and introduced more listeners to her developing catalogue.
Her work has also attracted attention within Nigerian music media, with Rolling Stone Africa examining how SOLANA and fellow artist Faith Martins are contributing to the emerging YoruPop conversation.
What distinguishes SOLANA’s recent music is the way she brings together influences without allowing one to dominate the others. Yoruba musical traditions remain an important foundation, but electronic production, pop songwriting and visual experimentation give her recordings a contemporary character.
With Girl From The West, SOLANA is building on the attention generated by “Okunkun” while establishing a broader picture of her artistry. The project represents an important next step for a musician whose work reflects both the heritage of Lagos and the expanding possibilities of African pop.
SOLANA’s Girl From The West EP is scheduled for release on 13 November 2026 via Since ’93. Further information is available from Sony Music UK.
