SOLA The warped soul of this young singer

Sola

London-based Sola was six when she took up playing piano. “My parents forced me, I hated it, and then one day it all just clicked,” she says. She went on to study music and business at New York University, even though at that time she was convinced that she could not sing. Gaining confidence, she started to write songs and after visiting her father in Nigeria, she began to foster a true relationship with her identity as an artist. “Listening to Fela Kuti gave me something more, it gave me rhythm and made me realise not all songs are just about love,” she recalls.

Through her musical journey, which has also brought her to the space-aged warmth of Outkast, Parliament and George Clinton, as well as the sparse electronics of Burial and Arca, Sola has shaped her own genre called warped soul. “It is derived from soul and jazz and all the music I was brought up on, it’s an underwater-y sound,” she explains. “When undressed and left bare, my songs are essentially mellow ballads.” Her sound is also evidently influenced by Nina Simone. “She taught me how to appreciate my voice and how to be happy being different; that the flaws are what make it more interesting.” So much so that Sola included a cover of Simone’s ‘Wild Is the Wind’ on her debut EP, Wealth Has Come, which was released in late 2018. “That song is extremely close to my heart and it seemed a rite of passage after spending months and months playing it in my bedroom.” The largely self-produced release is about Sola being ready to lay herself bare. “I was struggling badly with depression for many years and writing this EP was my healing process. It is about self-discovery and learning to be alone.” What strikes you first is her deep, velvety voice, which is reminiscent of Sade, and has the power to fully immerse you in its emotional resonance. In the song ‘Save Yourself’, her captivating melody wraps itself around you like the mermaid goddess Yemoja, enchanting you with its vulnerability. While in ‘Sacrifice Me’, she laments of being lost to the death-like enthrall of an obsessive relationship.

This song was also a way to connect to home; the video was shot in Lagos with local director and stylist Daniel Obasi and fashion designer Frank Aghuno of Fruché. “The city is so chaotic and moves to its own beat that’s really easy to be inspired by. There’s so much art and music coming from every corner, with people creating amazing work in spite of limited resources, which I find so freeing.” The video sees Sola in vast landscapes and dark spaces performing soft, expressive movements. It’s this unique energy and honest point of view that makes her one to watch.

(Above) SOLA wears JESSICA BAGNALL bra top, MARIEYAT sleeves, NATHALIE COSTE skirt, stylist’s own jewellery. (Opposite) SOLA wears CHOPOVA LOWENA jacket, jewellery as before. Styling SARANNE WOODCROFT. Hair LAURAINE BAILEY. Make-up MIN SANDHU at CAROL HAYES MANAGEMENT. Photography assistance FOLA ABATA.