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.
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”. 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.