Niniola

Biography

Niniola Apata (born 15 December 1986), known professionally as Niniola, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. She participated in the sixth season of Project Fame West Africa in 2013 After releasing her debut single "Ibadi", she was nominated for Most Promising Act to Watch at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.

Early life

Niniola Apata was born to the family of Rt. Brigadier General Simeon Olaosebikan Apata and Mrs. Margaret Apata on 15 December 1986 and raised in Lagos State, Nigeria. She is the direct elder sister to Teni.

Education

Niniola began her education both primary and secondary school education at Apata Memorial High School, and she earned a bachelor of education certificate from the University of Lagos. She comes from a polygamous family where she was the sixth of ten children, raised by three mothers and a father who was killed in 1995.

Career

Niniola participated in several social activities and competitions while attending secondary school. She finished third runner-up in the sixth season of Project Fame West Africa. During the competition, she performed a live rendition of "Limpopo" with Kcee and her Cobhams Asuquo-produced track "Itura". She has cited Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, The Cranberries, Madonna, Beyoncé and Angélique Kidjo as her key musical influences.
Niniola released her debut single "Ibadi" on 19 March 2014. Produced by Sarz, the song received positive critical reviews, topped national music charts and gained extensive airplay. Her singles "Ibadi" and "Gbowode" were included in the soundtrack for season 2 of Gidi Up. NotJustOk included her on its list of the 15 Artists to Watch in 2015. Niniola was nominated in the Most Promising Act to Watch category at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
Niniola released the Sarz-produced single "Maradona" in 2017. The song spent 13 weeks on South Africa's Metro FM chart, retaining the number 1 position for 6 weeks.
Niniola earned nominations at the 2018 BET Awards and SAMAs for "Maradona".
In 2018 DJ Snake teamed up with Niniola and created Maradona Riddim a remix to her previously released hit Maradona. She received nods from Canadian rapper Drake and American record producer Timbaland.
In 2019, elements of "Maradona" were sampled in "Find Your Way Back", a song from Beyoncé's soundtrack album The Lion King: The Gift. Niniola is also credited as one of the track's songwriters and composers.
In April 2020, she received her Grammy nomination certificate for her work as a composer on The Lion King: The Gift.
In June 2021, she received her Grammy second nomination certificate for her work as a composer on The Lion King: The Gift. In the same month Niniola got inducted into the Grammy Recording Academy Class of 2021.
In July 2021, Niniola's single, "Maradona" was certified gold in South Africa by the Recording Industry of South Africa RISA.
In January 2023, Niniola's single, "Maradona" was certified Platinum in South Africa by the Recording Industry of South Africa RISA.

Artistry

As of 2018 Niniola's style of music was described according to BET as "a mixture of afrobeats and house music". Though later as recent as 2020 her signature style of music would later include Amapiano becoming the first Nigerian to release a song with amapiano logdrums. As of 2022 some sources would also later categorize her sound as "afropiano" a fusion style of music which combines afrobeats and amapiano. During an interview with Gbolahan Adeyemi of NGWide in 2015, Niniola expressed her fondness for singing in Yoruba, citing that it enhances the beauty of song delivery.

Personal life

Niniola is the older sister of singer Teniola.
In May 2026, Niniola announced the death of her husband, Michael Ndika, revealing for the first time that the couple had been privately married for 13 years. Ndika had served since 2011 as CEO of NaijaReview, an Afrobeats and Afro-house media platform; the cause of his death was not disclosed. In the weeks that followed, Niniola spoke publicly about grieving as a young widow.

Collaborative albums and EPs

This is Me (2017)
Colours and Sounds (2020)
6th Heaven (EP) (2021)
Lagos to Jozi (EP) (2021)
Press Play (2024)