Singer and songwriter FOLA opens “9” with “Awade,” a Yoruba statement of arrival that sets the tone for his sophomore album.
The title means “we have arrived” or “here we come,” and the opener works as a calling card. It leads a 14-track project that carries Davido, Ayra Starr, BNXN, Darkoo, Bella Shmurda, and Zlatan. Yet FOLA chooses to start alone. That choice puts the focus on his own voice before any guest takes the stage.
The timing makes sense. His debut “Catharsis” earned strong praise, and “Paparazzi” with Shoday went to number one on the Official Nigeria Top 100 earlier this year. It also reached number seven on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats chart. That kind of success gives an album opener real weight, because he arrives with proof.
Football also shapes the story. The album is called “Striker,” after the number nine shirt, and “Awade” works like a player walking onto the pitch. Dangbana Republik and EMPIRE released the project, and the first track announces the plan clearly.
Known as a Lagos-based singer with smooth, melody-first writing, FOLA keeps the Afrobeats and Afro-R&B mix familiar here. So fans of “alone” and “Catharsis” will feel at home right away.
Step in with “Awade” and tell us – does it make a strong first impression?
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