Niniola Apata (born 15 December 1986), known professionally as Niniola, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter born to the family of Rt. Brigadier General Simeon Olaosebikan Apata (late) and Mrs. Margaret Apata on 15 December 1986 and raised in Lagos State, Nigeria. She participated in the sixth season of Project Fame West Africa in 2013. She is the direct elder sister to Teni. Niniola began her education both primary and secondary school education at Apata Memorial High School, and she earned a bachelor of education certificate from the University of Lagos.
Four: Sicker
“Sicker” is best described as an Afro-House version of Beyonce’s “Sorry”. It’s basically a warning telling her man, it’s either you Love me right or I’m out. This song brought her further into the limelight in the music industry and the official music video garnered over 3.2M on YouTube. The song which was released on the 15 of September, 2017 was produced by Sarz and written by Niniola.
FYI
- In 2019, elements of “Maradona” were sampled in “Find Your Way Back”, a song from Beyoncé’s soundtrack album The Lion King: The Gift.
- She finished third runner-up in the sixth season of Project Fame West Africa.
Three: Bana
As a sensational artist, Niniola released this track and masterpiece called Bana produced by Sarz from her Sounds and Colors album in 2018. “Bana” is a song which sees her talking about how much she loves her man and how protective she is about him and it garnered over 2.7M views on its official music video on YouTube.
Two: All Eyes on Me
Garnering over 3.1M views on its official music video on YouTube and over 573k streams on Spotify, the song “All Eyes on Me” was released on the 28th of April, 2023. The track was produced by Caltonic and Niphkeys and written by Niniola & Michael Ndika. The song “ALL EYES ON ME” is a testament to Niniola’s exceptional talent and creativity. The song is a perfect blend of Afrobeat and R&B, with a catchy chorus that will keep you hooked from start to finish.
Bonus: Magun Remix Ft Busiswa
With over 2.3M views on its official music video on YouTube, this track called Magun featuring Busiswa became a raving sensation during its release on the 18th of May, 2018. The song “Magun” was produced by Sarz is off her album “This is Me” (2018)
Discography
- This is Me (2017)
- Colours and Sounds (2020)
- 6th Heaven (EP) (2021)
- Lagos to Jozi (EP) (2021)
Awards and nominations
- Niniola was nominated in the Most Promising Act to Watch category at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
- Niniola earned nominations at the 2018 BET Awards and SAMAs for “Maradona”
- In April 2020 and in June 2021, she received her Grammy nomination certificate for her work as a composer on The Lion King: The Gift. In the same month Niniola got inducted into the Grammy Recording Academy Class of 2021.
- In 2016, she won the award for Best Collaboration for the song “Mbilo Mbilo” at the All Africa Music Awards.
- At the 2017 Nigerian Teen Choice Awards, she won the award for Choice Female Vocalist of the Year
- At the Headies Awards in 2021, she won the Awards for Best Female Vocal Performance.
One: Maradona
With over 9.4M views on its official music video on YouTube and over 9M streams on Spotify, Niniola released the Sarz-produced single “Maradona” in 2017. The song spent 13 weeks on South Africa’s Metro FM chart, retaining the number 1 position for 6 weeks. Niniola earned nominations at the 2018 BET Awards and SAMAs for “Maradona”. In July 2021 and January 2023, Niniola’s single, “Maradona” was certified Gold and Platinum in South Africa by the Recording Industry of South Africa RISA.
