Solá Akingbolá is a multifaceted vocalist, composer, and world-class percussionist who stands as the architect of a new sonic movement known as Black Atlantic Funk. Born in Yorubaland, Nigeria, and raised in London, Akingbolá's work is a celebration of cultural fusion, bridging his Nigerian heritage with his British upbringing. He views rhythm not merely as accompaniment, but as a "spiritual technology" and a living force that carries ancestral intelligence through sound.

Akingbolá's career began in the early 1990s jazz scene with the Ronny Jordan Band after nurturing his talent in Gasper Lawal's Oro Band. For over 25 years, he played as an integral member of the global funk sensation Jamiroquai, co-producing the "groove chemistry" found on their last seven albums and performing at major international venues. Beyond his work with Jamiroquai, he has collaborated with legendary artists including David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, and Damon Albarn.

As a composer, Akingbolá has achieved significant critical acclaim, winning the BMI Award for Best Film & TV Score in both 2023 and 2024 for his work on the CBS series Bob Hearts Abishola. His compositional reach extends to prestigious theater stages, where he has created original music for the Royal Shakespeare Company (including productions of Hamlet and Othello) and the National Theatre. In early 2025, his percussion masterclass at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama was met with enthusiastic reception, further cementing his status as a master of his craft.

In 2025, Akingbolá released of his most personal project to date, How Should I..., recorded in part at the iconic Abbey Road Studios. The album is a "sonic odyssey" that explores themes of migration, memory, and the complexities of the African diaspora. At its core, How Should I is about reimagining what it means to belong - not as a return to a fixed origin, but as an unfolding dialogue between the ancestral and the contemporary. How Should I is a sonic cartography of the Black Atlantic - a rhythmic journey through diasporic memory, cultural entanglement, and the ever-shifting terrain of identity. Composed and produced by Sola Akingbola, this album pulses with the unmistakable intensity of Yoruba drum language, refracted through the lens of funk, jazz, spoken word, and ambient orchestration.

This is Black Atlantic Funk not as genre, but as a philosophy - a vessel through which ancient forces and modern truths collide. In a time of digital fragmentation and social disconnection, the album asserts rhythm as a form of resistance, groove as a form of intelligence, and sound as a living archive. Through tracks like "Touch My Soul" and "Everyday"-the latter a tribute to his parents' journey from Nigeria to the UK-Akingbolá invites audiences to join a dynamic conversation about identity and belonging in a globalised world. He continues to push musical boundaries, blending Yoruba mythology with contemporary sounds to create a soundscape that is both deeply rooted and groundbreaking.

His latest release, Olukumi, reimagines the Yoruba phrase for my friend into a vibrant anthem for community, blending cyclical West African percussion and infectious guitar grooves, the track sings in sacred drums a joyful celebration of solidarity, and cross-cultural unity across the modern African diaspora.

The music doesn't just tell stories - it moves them forward.

Sola Akingbola (LEAD/VOCALS)

Kwame Yeboah (KEYS/VOCALS)

Eric Appapoulay (GUITAR/VOCALS)

Yolanda Charles (BASS)

Michel Castellanos-Rojas (DRUMS)

Oli Savill (PERCUSSION)

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