London-based Sola’s forthcoming mixtape is called Warped Soul. It’s a title that makes sense. While her Sade-esque vocal is mellifluous and soulful, the British-Nigerian singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer has been honing a sound that is lush and yet decidedly off-kilter since her 2018 debut EP, Wealth Has Come. She has previously called it “music which you can both cry and vibe out to”.
Priscilla Bajomo started out begrudgingly learning classical piano as a kid at her parents’ behest, though she would later study music and business at New York University, recognising her love for the medium. Still, she didn’t initially think of herself as a singer, until discovering an affinity with the work of Nina Simone, and during time spent visiting her father in Nigeria, listening to Fela Kuti. She grew in confidence, choosing to perform as Sola, her Yoruba name. Her output traverses everything from woozy trip-hop on latest single, Weak, to colourful electronics, cinematic ballads, silky R&B, jazzy percussion and Timbaland-style left-field futurism (on the captivating Scream999). Tellingly, Sola’s music is released via Jamz Supernova’s Future Bounce label, known for eclectic, nocturnal sounds that are difficult to categorise.
With lyrics about love, grief and self-sabotage, and moods that leap between playful, plaintive and powerful, Sola has noted that her new tape is a look into her experiences of contemporary Black British womanhood. And while there is spellbinding collaborative work with her London peers – the likes of acclaimed drummer Moses Boyd, producer Haich Ber Na and rising rapper Rarelyalways – the star of the show here is Sola’s voice, inviting the listener into her expansive sonic world.
Warped Soul is out on 28 September via Future Bounce
