Afolarin Odunlami, the fast-rising Nigerian Afrobeats singer better known as Fola, says his schoolmates nicknamed him Wizkid because of his naturally high-pitched voice while he was in secondary school.
The singer shared the experience during a recent interview on the ‘I Said What I Said’ podcast, where he reflected on his early interest in music and his time performing with a school band.
Fola said he was in senior secondary school three (SS3) when he broke his arm. By then, he had already developed an interest in music and formed a band with other students.
He recalled that his bandmates often compared his voice to that of Wizkid, the Nigerian music star, because of its high pitch.
“I had a former band in school then that we did songs together,” he said.
“Those girls were calling me Wizkid then; I had a tiny voice.
“If I play you the first song I recorded in the studio, you will think say na Wizkid.”
Fola has since grown from his early school performances into one of the emerging names in Nigeria’s Afrobeats scene.
He gained wider recognition after signing with Bella Shmurda’s record label, Dangbani Republik, in October 2024.
His catalogue includes songs such as ‘Alone’, ‘Feeling’ and ‘Mandela’, as well as ‘Who Does That’, his collaboration with Shmurda.
In 2025, Fola released ‘Catharsis’, his debut studio album, marking another milestone in his music career.
The singer has also spoken about the challenges he faced while trying to establish himself in Lagos.
In an earlier interview, Fola revealed that his first day in the city in 2018 ended with him spending a night in a police cell.
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