With Catharsis, FOLA proves himself a songwriter and vocalist whose ascent is finely honed for the long run.
By Abioye Damilare Samson
It’s no secret that social media, particularly TikTok, has become a launchpad for emerging artistes, propelling songs from obscurity into mainstream dominance. FOLA, born Odunlami Afolarin, is one of those artistes whose breakout track, “Alone” featuring Street-Pop act Bahdboi OML, was swept up by TikTok’s algorithm in 2024 and blossomed into a viral sensation. By every measure, “Alone” bore the hallmarks of a quintessential Nigerian love song: balmy vocals, affectionate lyricism, and tender, guitar-tinged instrumentation.
The song’s remix with BNXN elevated it further to the top of the charts and cemented FOLA as one of the year’s most intriguing revelations. As a talented artiste who had been honing his craft long before his time in the sun, FOLA managed to convert that spark into a sustained flame that burns all the way to the release of his debut album, Catharsis.
After the runaway success of “Alone” (Remix), FOLA signed to Bella Shmurda’s Dangbana Republik and capped 2024 with a striking six-track EP, What A Feeling. That project housed “Who Does That?”, a prayerful, reflective track featuring Bella himself, which earned him widespread acclaim.
Since the dawn of 2025, FOLA has been on a dazzling run that has been impossible to ignore, even sparking debates on whether it rivals Asake’s 2022 breakout year. Collaborations with A-list artistes like Wizkid, Zlatan, Kizz Daniel, and BNXN have produced some of the year’s most infectious hits, fueled by FOLA’s ear for melody and his ability to inject warmth and emotional resonance into any record he touches.
It was almost inevitable, then, that he would round out such a prolific run with a definitive statement. With Catharsis, his debut album, FOLA seizes the moment to deliver a body of work that fans have long yearned for and also carries the weight of expectation and the promise of an artiste ready to etch his name deeper into the Afro-Pop canon.
Ahead of the album, the three pre-released tracks, “Lost” featuring Kizz Daniel, “You”, and “Eko”, carry the quintessential DNA of what makes FOLA’s music hypnotic. The delicate guitar picks that open “Lost” ease the listener in, before FOLA’s yearning vocals and plaintive plea for his lover set the emotional tone.
Kizz Daniel complements him with his simple yet magnetic songwriting. Still, it is the chorus—“Kowa comfort mi, le mo body mi/ I know you got eyes on money mi/ She say, ‘not really,’ ko tẹ button mi, ah”—that becomes the song’s emotional centrepiece.
The groovy, dancehall-inflected Afro-Pop of “You” comes alive as a party-starter love song, carried by the buoyant, percussive instrumentation of Kel-P. In “Eko”, FOLA turns to Lagos, a city that has long served as muse for Nigerian music and reimagines its chaos and beauty through the prism of his own lived experiences.
“Gokada”, Catharsis’ intro, is driven by plaintive violin strains and soft piano chords, and it swells with melancholy as FOLA croons subtle references to his hedonistic desires: “Even if you cheat on me, I won’t ba ja/ She be screaming harder/ And you know nobody badder”. On “Golibe”, FOLA teams up with Victony to craft another love song cut from the same breezy sonic cloth as “You”. While FOLA holds down the chorus with his smooth delivery, it is Victony’s lilting flow and captivating vocal phrasing that give the track an effervescent finish.
FOLA has always carried a seductive ease in the way he sings about women. On the album’s mid-section, tracks like “Healer” and “Cruise Control” embody this quality. In “Healer”, he croons, “Má mú e lo Timbuktu, a ma kiss mójú ko ma mo pe,” a playful but passionate line that has promise and seduction. And on the LOL-produced “Cruise Control”, his advances are more direct: “Pade mi tonight, let’s get high till we hangover”. Here, his desire is laid bare, but wrapped in the fluidity of his vocal delivery, which turns raw intention into something deeply musical.
The acoustic texture of FOLA’s collaboration with Gabzy on “Robbery” proves that he knows how to bend his sound to achieve a natural, sublime chemistry with any artiste. Nowhere is the album’s emotional core better distilled than on “Caricature”, where he purges his feelings without restraint. Shifting away from that emotive flow, the Young Jonn-assisted “Disco” is a log-drum-driven, club-ready anthem that injects pure energy into the tracklist album.
Catharsis closes with “It’s Going”, a mid-tempo Afro-Pop number where FOLA reflects on his ambition and the unyielding drive to keep chasing his goals regardless of obstacles. It’s a fitting conclusion, tying the project together with both resolve and uplift.
At its most resonant, FOLA’s music signals a daring evolution for Afro-Pop where vulnerability and emotional candour sit at the centre of the craft. With his debut album, Catharsis, he embodies that vision fully by spilling his feelings into songs that reflect the very essence of the title.
Most of the tracks arrive polished and immaculately arranged, the writing is sharp and evocative, while his sugary vocal runs are layered over a refined, sleek production. Much of that brilliance comes from sbthaproducer, whose lush instrumentation provides the perfect framework for FOLA’s honeyed cadences to glide across.
Yet, for all its refinement, the soundscape of Catharsis feels safe at times, even predictable, with certain moments that rely on expected patterns. Still, as a debut, it testifies to an artiste who already understands his most potent tools: the supple warmth of his voice, the fluid grace of his melodies and the way he can spin desire and yearning into songs that burrow into memory.
Already, FOLA has crafted some of the year’s most irresistible earworms, and with his debut album, Catharsis, he proves himself a songwriter and vocalist whose ascent is finely sharpened for the long run.
Lyricism – 1.5
Tracklisting – 1.3
Sound Engineering – 1.5
Vocalisation – 1.5
Listening Experience – 1.6
Rating – 7.4/10
Abioye Damilare Samson is a music journalist and culture writer focused on the African entertainment Industry. Reading new publications and listening to music are two of his favourite pastimes when he is not writing. Connect with him on Twitter and IG: @Dreyschronicle