Sola Akingbola, percussionist for Grammy-winning Jamiroquai and composer for CBS’s Bob Hearts Abishola, is releasing his new album ‘How Should I’ on 04/09/2024. This album blends Yoruba culture with UK influences, featuring collaborations like the title track with Olivier-winning actor Sheila Atim. The album’s got 11 tracks, each one a slice of something different: the groovy ‘Touch My Soul‘ and the reflective ‘My Brother’s Keeper.’ Every song is a story about Sola finding and embracing his identity. Born in Yorubaland and raised in London, Sola calls the album “a bridge between his Nigerian heritage and British upbringing.” It’s about how music can erase boundaries, both cultural and personal. We had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Sola himself and dive deeper into his new album, How Should I, along with plenty more.

photo by @japalianplaygirl

Sola, with your latest album ‘How Should I,’ dropping on the 4th of September, you’ve pulled off a masterstroke, melding Greek classics with Yoruba rhythms. As the release date edges closer, how did you blend these different cultural sounds to create the album? What’s the secret recipe behind cooking up this extraordinary blend?

Can’t give away too much as I would like to explore the combinations some more. It is mainly to do with certain sound qualities, which I explore between the Greek Chorus in Euripides and the Choral singing of the Babalawos of Ifa from the Yorubas of Southwestern Nigeria. Both are steeped in the deep poetry of their traditions.

The title track of your album was originally composed for a Royal Shakespeare Company production. Can you share what it was like to transition this piece from a theatrical setting to the main theme of your album?

Whilst writing the music for Ophelia in the RSC production of Hamlet, I was struck by the simplicity and power of the lines Ophelia uses to speak to authority. In the production, Ophelia’s song was unaccompanied, but I kept moving towards the piano, whilst revising it at home. I then began to hear more instrumentation around the piece, as I began to hear the song being performed in a band situation.

In ‘How Should I’, you explore personal themes linked to your Nigerian heritage and British upbringing. Which track do you feel is the most intimate reflection of your journey and why?

I think this would be Where Did the Love Go. For me it speaks of the different cultural perspectives around the relationship of the mother and child. How the dynamic in a family may change because of relocating to a different place in the world, away from the wider familial support networks. ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ but within the village there lurks dangers. This applies to all families, no matter the race, creed or colour.

Teaming up with Sheila Atim—a powerhouse in her own right—must have brought some special vibes to the studio. With her lending her vocals to the title track of ‘How Should I’, how did her presence shape the sound and feel of this song? Did her artistic flair add any unexpected twists?

Sheila is an immense talent that we are going to hear about and see more and more of. I had the pleasure of inviting her to perform this song live on stage with us on a few occasions. This is how I heard Sheila’s beautiful tone, flair and approach, which I knew I had to capture on record.

You’ve described the album as a “celebration of cultural fusion.” Can you share a particular moment or song during the production that epitomized this fusion for you?

This for me, is in the track Touch My Soul. The arrangement tries to tap into the great songs of my youth, using guitars and synths, drawing on harmonic movement that is a little more involved, which is the kind of music I grew up listening to and we have then underpinned it with grooves and percussive arrangement that draws directly from traditional Yoruba music.

Your music has reached households worldwide, yet this album feels like a new introduction to you as a solo artist. What do you want your long-time fans to learn about you through this album?

I have no idea what the public will draw from the album. I would like to think that people recognise my enthusiasm for exploration and enquiry through sound.

You’ve been everywhere, from global stages with Jamiroquai to the intense focus of TV and theatre scoring. With such a diverse creative portfolio, how do you keep your artistic wellsprings overflowing?

I have answered this question in the previous question: I love to challenge myself and stay on that learning curve as they say. I love football. I think about the great players who appear to have achieved everything in their field, but still come again and again. In all sports, the real giants have a different definition of success to everyone else, they are not driven just by money and awards.

What are the immediate plans for supporting this album once it’s out in the world?

We shall be performing tracks from the album at some venues in and around London, with a view to taking the project around the country, creating spaces and opportunities for collaboration and interactive learning, with the next generation and artists who wish to explore similar themes through their creative mediums.

Everyone has a non-musical hobby that somehow feeds back into their creative process. What’s yours?

Mine is walking in the countryside of England, trying to recognise bird songs whilst reciting poetry that I’m trying to memorise.

As we look forward to the release of ‘How Should I’, what’s the one thing you hope listeners will take away from this album after they hit play?

I would love it if people got a sense of the time and effort spent on the album, by all involved, like a feast that has been prepared with love and care for all to enjoy.

Connect with Sola Akingbola via Instagram

*This interview was made possible by Quite Great PR