5 Things to Expect From FOLA’s “9”

FOLA’s debut album, Catharsis, garnered critical acclaim, smash hits, and positioned him as the foremost breakout star of 2025. He’ll walk away with the Headies Next Rated Award in about two weeks, as evidence to the fact—barring any mischief. In the two years since he blazed the trail, the Ibadan-born star has fast become one of the most sought after voices on the scene. An R&B act primarily singing in Yoruba, capturing contemporary minutiae about love and whatever else you think young listeners deal with daily. 

With such a resumé over the past year, some might have expected the singer to let up on the pedal; if at all, to at least settle into his fame. On the contrary, he’s upped the ante even more in 2026. Appearances on hits like Davido’s B4 B4 (also featuring Mayorkun) and Ayra Starr’s Tornado have kept him a constant radio and streaming fave.  Singles like fine ting (fine $hit), treat u right (feat. Ayra Starr), attention!, it’s over (feat. Bella Shmurda, Zlatan) have also popped. His final pre-album single, miss u ii (nriri) picks up from October 2023’s miss u with which he first gained major traction. And if we’re to go by his Instagram Story post unraveling the meaning behind his album’s title, 9, in which he draws parallels to the ‘striker’ role in football, there’s likely more in stock. 

As we prepare to welcome FOLA’s sophomore album tomorrow, here are five things to be on the lookout for. Enjoy!

1. Songs for lovers by a lover. 

Say the words ‘lover boy’ thrice into the mirror and there’s every chance that the soon-to-be University of Lagos graduate appears doing his signature palm rubs. 5 of 6 songs on his debut project, December 2024’s what a feeling EP explore romance in what aspect or the other. And even the sixth, who does that? with label boss Bella Shmurda, was erroneously misunderstood by many to be a love song. In his Culture Custodian review, writer Chibuzo Emmanuel noted how catharsis revolved more around love than anything else. That’s without including his MVP performance on Magixx’s Juice and Liquor. You can expect the full spectrum of youngins’ romance on 9. Ensure you resolve any underlying romantic snaggles with your partner before listening to the album. If you fail, you can at least tell FOLA that he helped you through hard times whenever you attend a show. 

2. Mature songwriting 

A lesser known fact about FOLA is his raunchiness. This man is na-sty. Nasty in the way Odunlade Adekola’s stereotypical funnyman characters were nasty; walking a tightrope between vulgarity and sensuality and extending the time honoured metaphor of lovers as healers of the body, soul, and body again. His divisively titled record, fine ting (fine $hit) is one of the year’s best songs. However, it’s also one of the year’s most explicit. FOLA instructs his lover to take a ride, only that he doesn’t bother with an euphemism. 9 is not music for the kids. Unless of course you’re comfortable giving the ‘Birds and the Bees’ talk earlier than planned. As we prepare to welcome FOLA’s sophomore album tomorrow, here are five things to be on the lookout for.

3. Unorthodox music

Now, this is somewhat a stretch if we’re to work with available singles, but stay with us a bit. Following 9’s official announcement on 9 September, 2026, FOLA released it’s over with Bella Shmurda and Zlatan. The song follows typical Afro-R&B structure with the singer and Bella interpolating his “I want make you do me wonders, t’ọn bá ti bèèrè kí ń sọ pé ìwọ l’ọba wọn” line from who does that?, while making prayers for provision to God. However, from the 2:30 mark, it somehow switches into a Ramoni or late Beats By Jhay-type chipmunk boom-bap beat. Zlatan dishes out yet another stellar verse, street wisdom spliced with cheeky wordplay (“No more way for poor people, no be me na Mavo talk am/No be me, na Mavo talk am”). You have to listen for yourself to understand how jarring yet hypnotic that transition was. Already, TurnTable Charts confirmed that track 11, crime, samples 2Baba’s 2006 hit Love is A Crime. The thought of one or more other songs of this nature being on the tape certainly sparks intrigue. 

4. Same ol’ ‘monotony’ discussions

Following his October 3 Homecoming concert at Agodi Gardens, there was a conversation about his supposed thematic and vocal monotony. Himself and increasingly frequent collaborator, BNXN, were accused of always sounding the same on songs, with some defending both artists (In the real sense, the problem is that a considerable portion of Nigerian listeners aren’t accommodating of Afropop with an R&B, but haven’t realised this yet). When 9 drops tonight, do not be shocked to see comments about monotony rolling in an hour after. Real ones know to listen thoroughly first before drawing any conclusions. 

5. Peeling back layers of his life

For all its vulnerability, FOLA’s music seldom peers into the singer’s life. Tracks like eko are the exception. You have to find him outside his records instead, with podcasts and interviews offering valuable insight into his upbringing and creative process, among other things. However, something tells us that this album will peel back layers of the once-aspiring footballer’s life. If this does happen, it would provide much to engage with for a singer whose style demands detailed attention to fully enjoy.