Fola, the fast-rising Nigerian singer, has spoken about his humble beginnings, revealing that he once worked at his father’s betting shop before carving out a place for himself in the music industry.
Fola, who shared his story in an interview, said his passion for music began in high school where he played in a band but lacked the means to pursue it professionally.
“I started making music in high school obviously not professionally, but I had a band I was playing with,” he said.
After graduation, the struggle became more pronounced. According to him, he did not own a phone at the time and relied on a friend’s device to make progress.
“It was difficult for me because I didn’t even have a phone, I was using my guy’s phone to do stuff,” he recalled.
Faced with limited opportunities in Ibadan, he decided to take up work at a small bet shop owned by his father.
“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,” he said.
Fola later left Ibadan for Lagos, a move he described as the turning point in his journey. In Lagos, he met the late Mohbad, whom he credits for creating pathways that helped shape his career.
“I met Mohbad. Mohbad did a lot of things for me,” he said.
Through Mohbad, he was also introduced to Bella Shmurda, a relationship that led to an informal collaboration in 2022.
“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,” he said.
Despite the gap in their profiles at the time, Bella agreed to the collaboration without financial interest, a gesture Fola still speaks highly of.
“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, the singer said he remains grateful for how far he has come.
“I thank God for where we are today,” he said.
