While other Nigerian musicians added guitars, accordions and keyboards, Haruna Ishola refused. His apala music relied on drums, rattles and the human voice. The result was one of the most respected traditional styles in Yoruba music, and Ishola became its master.
Apala
Apala is a Yoruba music style rooted in Muslim communities in the south-west of Nigeria. It developed as music performed after Ramadan fasting and for celebrations. It uses talking drums, the agidigbo thumb piano, rattles and bells, with singing full of proverbs and praise.
Early life
Ishola was born around 1919; sources differ on whether his birthplace was Ijebu-Igbo or Ibadan. He began recording apala in about 1955.
Fame
Ishola quickly became the most popular apala artist in Nigeria. His records sold widely, and he became one of the leading praise singers of his time, performing for chiefs, politicians and wealthy patrons.
Traditionalist
Ishola kept to a strong traditional approach. He used Yoruba proverbs and Koranic references in his songs and avoided Western instruments. His music was slow and deep, inviting listeners to reflect.
Star Records
In 1969, Ishola and the juju star I.K. Dairo founded STAR Records Ltd, a Nigerian-owned label that gave local musicians more control over their recordings.
Praise singing
Praise singing is central to apala. Ishola’s songs honoured patrons and recounted their lineages and achievements. He was respected for his skill with words and his knowledge of Yoruba history and proverbs.
His death
Haruna Ishola died in 1983. Sources differ on the exact date.
Musiliu Haruna Ishola
His son, Musiliu Haruna Ishola, revived apala for a new generation. His album Soyoyo brought the music to younger audiences in the 2000s, proving that the tradition his father built still had life.
Apala today
Apala is less commercially dominant than fuji or Afrobeats, but it remains respected, especially among older listeners and at traditional ceremonies.
Apala and fuji
Apala shares roots with fuji, the louder, faster Yoruba Muslim music that grew from were and ajisari, the songs sung to wake people during Ramadan. Fuji eventually overtook apala in popularity, but many fuji musicians acknowledged apala’s influence on their praise singing and rhythms.
His recordings
Ishola’s records are prized by collectors. Reissues have introduced his music to listeners outside Nigeria, who are often struck by its depth and calm.
Many musicians modernise to survive. Haruna Ishola survived by refusing to, and his music still sounds like it came from the heart of Yoruba tradition.
