Ogunbayode Rasheed Oladele, better known as Solostly, is a Lagos-based Nigerian Afrobeats singer and songwriter from Ogun State, Nigeria. His songs draw from the experiences around him, including the pressure of survival and hustling; the desire for a better future; the small moments of happiness that make difficult days worth pushing through; and the sacrifices parents make for their children.
Since Solostly started making music in 2017, he has been steadily developing a sound built around real-life struggles and experiences. His growing catalog includes “Prayer,” “Happiness Life,” and “E No Easy.” “Prayer,” which is his first track, was inspired by the circumstances surrounding him. The song reflects the faith people hold onto when life becomes difficult, capturing the desire for strength and better days when the present feels uncertain.
“Happiness Life,” his second release, draws from the realities of hustling and struggling, while “E No Easy” was inspired by the sacrifices his parents made in the hope that he would become great in life. “My music comes from real-life experiences. The struggles I have seen around me, the hustle to survive, the sacrifices my parents made, and the hope of becoming something better,” Solostly tells Rolling Stone Africa. “Songs like ‘Prayer,’ ‘Happiness Life,’ and ‘E No Easy’ are not just songs to me; they are stories from my life and the lives of people around me.”
His Afrobeats sound is built around emotion, rhythm, and storytelling, with Nigerian life providing the foundation. “I would love to describe the sound I’m building as real Nigerian life. A blend of Afrobeats, emotion, rhythm, and storytelling,” he explained. “As Solostly, I want my music to capture the reality of people. The hustle, the pain, the dreams, the sacrifices, the prayers, and the moments of happiness we experience while trying to make a better life.”
In his songs, Solostly doesn’t pretend that hardship does not exist; instead, he acknowledges it while holding onto the possibility that something better will come from it. “I want my songs to speak to the person who is struggling today but still believes tomorrow can be better,” he said. This can be seen in Solostly’s personal experience; he has been singing since 2017, but the breakthrough he hoped for did not arrive immediately.
Like many emerging artists, he has had to navigate the distance between ambition and recognition, learning to remain committed even when the results were slower than expected. “There were moments I expected things to happen faster, but the breakthrough didn’t come when I wanted it to,” he recalled. Instead of allowing the delay to end his pursuit, Solostly found motivation in his love for music and his belief that his story still had a purpose.
“I believe that success in music is not always about how quickly you become known. It is about how long you are willing to keep believing in yourself when nobody is watching,” he said. The challenges along the way have taught Solostly patience. It has strengthened his resolve and forced him to discover more about himself. “Every challenge, disappointment, and delay taught me patience and made me stronger,” he stated. “Along the way, I have learnt that I am more than I thought.”
He is just as determined in his collaboration. Solostly worked with fellow Nigerian artist Styliman on “Ayea,” an experience that introduced him to the creative possibilities of two people working together. The collaboration made him learn so many things. “Working with Styliman on ‘Ayea’ was a beautiful experience because it taught me that music is not only about one person’s talent. It is also about understanding, communication, and bringing different creative ideas together,” he said.
The experience also taught him how to preserve his identity while working within another artist’s creative world. “The collaboration showed me the importance of respecting another artist’s style while still staying true to my own identity as Solostly,” he added. His ambitions for future collaborations extend beyond Nigeria. He names artists including Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, Omah Lay, Asake, Tems, and Kizz Daniel among the Nigerian artists he would love to work with, while his international wish list includes Drake, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and The Weeknd.
But his dream collaborations are not just about attaching his name to the biggest artists in the world. Solostly is drawn to musicians whose sounds can connect with audiences. “Beyond the names, I’m interested in artists who believe in creating meaningful music that can connect with people and represent Africa to the world,” he said.
Solostly’s music may currently be rooted in his surroundings and the realities of Nigerian life, but his aspirations are much more than that. He wants to take those stories from Ogun State and Nigeria to Africa and, eventually, to listeners around the world. With only a handful of songs released, Solostly is still in the earliest chapter of his career. When asked what he wants people to remember about this stage of his career years from now, his answer shows how determined he is.
“I want people to remember this stage of my career as the beginning of a journey built on faith and hard work. But I believe every great story starts somewhere. When people look back at Solostly years from now, I want them to remember that I started with a dream and refused to give up, even when the journey was difficult,” he said.
Solostly isn’t presenting himself as an artist who has already arrived. He is still building, learning, and finding new ways to turn his experiences into music. His story is still being written. With every new record, he is creating a sound grounded in Nigerian life to prove that a dream can survive even when the road to it is not easy. For Solostly, the journey from Ogun State to the world has only just begun.
You can find Solostly HERE
