Solana (Artist) is a Lagos-raised Nigerian singer-songwriter, born Ogunlana Oluwabusolami Habibat. She is the best-known face of “Yorupop”, a sound that mixes Yoruba language and culture with Afrobeats, electronic music and pop. She is not the American singer SZA, whose birth name is Solána Rowe.
Her breakthrough came with “Okunkun“, a Yoruba-language single produced by Killertunes and released on 19 June 2026. She recorded it in 2023, held it back for years, then teased it online in early June 2026. The NATIVE reports it drew endorsements from Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr, Diplo, Little Simz and SZA, and Tyla shared it too.
In October 2026 Spotify named her its EQUAL Africa Artist for the month. Her debut EP, Girl From The West, is the next big milestone, though outlets disagree on its date: an October announcement said 6 November, while NME’s 4 November piece says 13 November. We could not confirm a release as of 6 November 2026.
This AfrobeatKit profile relies on her interviews, Spotify’s announcement and music press. Where sources conflict or nothing is published, we say so.
Solana quick facts
| Detail | What we found | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Real name | Ogunlana Oluwabusolami Habibat, per Rolling Stone Africa and JB Republic; spellings vary (“Ogulana” on emPawa, “Habitat” on YNaija) | Confirmed; spelling varies |
| Stage name | Solana | Confirmed |
| Nickname or alias | “Badgalsolana” (her YouTube handle); fans are called Lanterns | Handle confirmed |
| Age and date of birth | Not publicly confirmed | Unconfirmed |
| Hometown | Raised in Lagos; she says she grew up in Lagos State | Confirmed by her interview |
| State of origin | Not stated; she calls herself “a Yoruba girl” | Unconfirmed |
| Nationality | Nigerian | Confirmed |
| Occupation | Singer, songwriter and performer | Confirmed |
| Genres | Yorupop, Afro-fusion, alternative R&B, electronic and pop | Confirmed |
| Record label | “Okunkun” released via ONErpm per JB Republic; the EP is out via Since 93 per NME; Album of the Year lists Dejer Media | Conflicting; no label deal confirmed |
| Early backing | Mr Eazi’s emPawa programme, from 2020 | Confirmed |
| Notable songs | “Okunkun”, “Dide”, “O Rí Mi”, “Far Away” (feat. Joeboy), “Badder” (feat. Killertunes), “On My Way” (feat. Victony) | Confirmed as releases |
| Debut EP | Girl From The West, due 6 or 13 November 2026 | Date disputed |
| @solana_tii | Linked from emPawa |
Early life and background
Solana has shared little about her family or exact hometown, so this section sticks to what she has said in interviews.
Growing up. In a first-person Zikoko feature she says she remembers music more than anything else from childhood. Her mother played King Sunny Adé, K1 De Ultimate and other Yoruba artists around the house. She told NME that her mother introduced her to fuji while she grew up in Lagos State, and that she also soaked up Ebenezer Obey, Lagbaja, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj.
First song. She says she wrote her first song at six, though she cannot remember what inspired it.
University. She says she was in her second year of university when music started to feel like more than a habit. A roommate who worked at a recording studio saw her writing and singing and took her there. She does not name her university or course, and we found no confirmed details.
Off the mic. She describes herself as a person of few words. NME reports that she plays Fortnite, crochets, makes jewellery and colours in her spare time, and she says she also loves fashion.
Not confirmed. Her parents’ names, her siblings, her date of birth and her state of origin are not public.
Stage name and identity
The name. NME reports that “Solana” melds fragments of her birth names, Busola and Ogunlana. The magazine adds that it also happens to echo the Spanish word for sun, which suits her colourful visual world. That explanation comes from the interview write-up, not a statement from her label.
Spellings. Her full name appears as Ogunlana Oluwabusolami Habibat in most outlets. emPawa writes “Ogulana” and YNaija writes “Habitat”, which look like typos.
Yorupop. The press has crowned her the pioneer of “Yorupop”, a fusion of Yoruba language and culture with pop and electronic music. She says she accepts the label “with open arms” but adds that Yorupop is only one part of her. In the Zikoko feature she calls herself an experimental artist.
Visual identity. Spotify and NME point to her signature hairstyle, bold clothes and modern take on traditional dress. She films most of her visualisers in Lagos markets, streets and beaches, per NME.
Fans. Her fan community is called Lanterns, according to Spotify’s announcement coverage. Her YouTube handle is @badgalsolana and her Instagram is @solana_tii.
Music career beginnings
Solana’s recording life began at university, when her roommate took her to a studio. She says she did not think of it as a career decision at first.
The first confirmed career step came in 2020, when she was chosen for Mr Eazi’s emPawa programme. NME and Rolling Stone Africa both date her entry to that year. NME says emPawa gave her funding and mentoring, and she told the magazine it gave her the freedom to be herself without having to sell her music alone. emPawa’s own profile calls her an emerging Afrobeat singer-songwriter who works across Afropop, pop, hip-hop, trap and R&B, and says she is open to writing for other artists.
Her first release is described differently across sources. NME calls “Far Away”, with fellow emPawa artist Joeboy, her debut single, and Aipate dates that collaboration to 2020. The site Conversations About Her says she first broke out in 2019 with a viral cover of Nasty C’s “SMA”. We could not verify the cover, so we treat 2019 as unconfirmed.
She also told Zikoko that some of her unreleased songs date back to 2019.
Breakthrough songs
“Far Away” (feat. Joeboy), 2020. NME describes it as her debut single. Aipate says the collaboration helped push her toward national attention.
“Badder” (feat. Killertunes) and “On My Way” (feat. Victony), October 2021. Aipate covered the pair as a double single on 18 October 2021, calling “Badder” upbeat and pop-inflected and “On My Way” more mellow. The NATIVE says “Badder” marked the public start of her partnership with Killertunes.
“Okunkun”, 19 June 2026. This is the song that changed her profile. The title means “darkness” in Yoruba. She says it is about leaving a difficult place and stepping into the light, and that she wanted it to feel fun rather than sad. NME describes Afrobeats and Yoruba drums mixed with synth-pop and 1980s dancefloor energy.
- She recorded it in 2023 and says some industry people doubted that Nigerians would connect with a song that was not Amapiano-led.
- She teased it online in early June 2026, with no formal rollout, and Album of the Year and News247 date the release to 19 June.
- SZA gave it a public co-sign, and Tyla shared it on her Instagram Story in mid-August, according to News247.
- YNaija reports it has passed 1 million Spotify streams.
“Dide”. Released a few weeks after “Okunkun”, per Rolling Stone Africa, and described as punchy by NME and funky by The NATIVE. We could not confirm its exact date.
“O Rí Mi”. NME calls it lovelorn and darkly passionate. Spotify’s announcement set its release for 16 October 2026, and we have not confirmed that date independently.
Albums, EPs and mixtapes
Solana has no released album, EP or mixtape that we could confirm as of 6 November 2026. Her catalogue so far is singles.
Girl From The West (debut EP, release date disputed)
- Release date. Coverage of Spotify’s October announcement says the EP, titled Girl From The West, Act I, would arrive on 6 November. NME’s 4 November interview says it is out on 13 November via Since 93. In July, Solana told Zikoko it would drop “next month”, so the date has moved more than once.
- Production. She told Zikoko the EP is produced entirely by Killertunes.
- Language. NME says most of the lyrics are in Yoruba.
- Songs we can name. “Dide” and “O Rí Mi” are described by NME as releases taken from the EP. We found no official tracklist, so we do not list the rest.
Singles
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | “Far Away” | With Joeboy |
| 2021 | “Badder” | Feat. Killertunes |
| 2021 | “On My Way” | Feat. Victony |
| 2026 | “Okunkun” | Produced by Killertunes; released 19 June |
| 2026 | “Dide” | From the EP; exact date unconfirmed |
| 2026 | “O Rí Mi” | From the EP; scheduled for 16 October |
The analytics site Viberate also lists a 2022 single, “Prayer”, which no other source confirms.
Musical style
Yorupop and beyond. The press calls her sound Yorupop, but she says the term covers rhythm, melody, vocal delivery and the culture around the language, not only Yoruba lyrics on an Afrobeats beat. Spotify describes her sound as alt-R&B, electronic and pop with Yoruba influences, and she told Zikoko she is an experimental artist.
Sound. NME describes “Okunkun” as Afrobeats and Yoruba drums with synth-pop sonics, rock-infused production and the energy of a 1980s dancefloor. InterSpace Daily likewise says it takes 1980s sounds and gives them a 2026 update.
Language. Solana says Yoruba is tonal and can almost sound like singing when spoken, so the words double as percussion. She says she writes with intention, because a single Yoruba word can carry different meanings depending on the emotion behind it.
Influences. She names King Sunny Adé, K1 De Ultimate, Ebenezer Obey and Lagbaja, plus Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. Fuji was introduced by her mother. She says she has tried trap, R&B, rap and pop along the way.
Production partner. Killertunes produces her key records and, she says, they share a love of experimenting. Their first public pairing was “Badder” in 2021.
Themes. Her 2026 songs deal with leaving darkness behind, self-trust and love, according to her own descriptions and NME.
Record label and collaborations
emPawa. Her earliest confirmed backing is Mr Eazi’s emPawa programme from 2020, which NME says provided funding and mentoring. emPawa Publishing also lists her as an artist and topliner who is open to writing for others.
Distribution and labels. The sources disagree on who released her recent music:
- JB Republic says “Okunkun” was released via ONErpm.
- Album of the Year lists the label as Dejer Media.
- NME says the Girl From The West EP is out via Since 93.
None of these is explained in an official statement we could find, and they may describe distributors, imprints and partners rather than a single label deal. We found no confirmed manager.
Collaborators.
- Killertunes, producer of “Okunkun” and the EP, and featured on “Badder”
- Joeboy on “Far Away”
- Victony on “On My Way”
Industry attention. SZA and Tyla both shared “Okunkun”. The NATIVE adds Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr, Diplo and Little Simz, and an X post says the Grammys commented on her post. These are public co-signs, not formal collaborations.