Fast-rising Nigerian singer Fola has opened up about his humble beginnings, revealing he once worked at his father’s betting shop before successfully launching his music career.
Fola’s passion for music began in high school, where he was part of a band, but he lacked the resources to pursue it professionally. He recalled, “I started making music in high school obviously not professionally, but I had a band I was playing with,”.
After graduating, the struggle intensified, as he did not even own a phone and had to rely on a friend’s device. He remembered the difficulty: “It was difficult for me because I didn’t even have a phone, I was using my guy’s phone to do stuff,”.
Faced with limited opportunities in Ibadan, Fola decided to work at his father’s small bet shop. He stated, “I checked my environment and it wasn’t encouraging so I started working at a bet shop owned by my dad. I worked as a manager and cashier so that I could raise some money for myself,”.
His career turning point came when he left Ibadan for Lagos. There, he met the late artist Mohbad, whom he credits for opening doors for him. “I met Mohbad. Mohbad did a lot of things for me,” Fola said.
Mohbad introduced him to Bella Shmurda, leading to an informal 2022 collaboration. Fola noted, “Mohbad and Bella were very close so Mohbad was always telling Bella about me. I and Bella did a song together in 2022 without any paperwork and it was just great,”.
Fola remains grateful that Bella agreed to the collaboration without seeking profit, despite the large gap in their profiles at the time. “The gap was so much between us but Bella did it anyway even when he wasn’t going to make a dime out of it,” he added.
Looking back, Fola expressed gratitude for his journey, saying, “I thank God for where we are today,”.