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 participated in several social activities and competitions while attending secondary school. She finished third runner-up in the sixth season of Project Fame West Africa. During the competition, she performed a live rendition of "Limpopo" with Kcee and her Cobhams Asuquo-produced track "Itura". She has cited Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, The Cranberries, Madonna, Beyoncé and Angélique Kidjo as her key musical influences. 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". In 2018 DJ Snake teamed up with Niniola and created Maradona Riddim a remix to her previously released hit 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. In June 2021, she received her Grammy second nomination certificate for her work as a composer on The Lion King: The Gift. In the same month Niniola got inducted into the Grammy Recording Academy Class of 2021. In July 2021, Niniola's single, "Maradona" was certified gold in South Africa by the Recording Industry of South Africa RISA.
