| Lola Rae | |
| Birth Name: | Rachel Akosua Funmilola Garton |
| Birth Date: | 1991 1, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Obalende, Lagos, Nigeria |
| Occupation: | Singer |
| Years Active: | 2010–present |
Rachel Akosua Funmilola Garton (born 20 January 1991), professionally known as Lola Rae, is a Ghanaian singer. She gained recognition following the release of her debut single, "Watch My Ting Go",[1] which received critical acclaim and thus earned her a nomination for the Most Promising Female Act to Watch at the 2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.[2]
Lola Rae was born to a British father and a Ghanaian mother in Obalende, a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria. She attained her primary and secondary school education at St. Saviour's School, Ikoyi, and Lekki British International High School, Lagos, respectively.[3] She, however left Nigeria for England at the age of 15 to complete her university education at Central Saint Martins, where she studied fashion textiles.[4]
Lola Rae's entertainment career started as a dancer when she was joined the dancing group "Mystikal" in 2010. Mystikal Dancing Group auditioned for Britain's Got Talent,[5] where Rae sang in the competition, and judge Simon Cowell singled Mystikal Dancing group out at the semi-final. At the end of the competition, the group (Mystikal) was signed to Syco for a year. Rae turned down an invitation to The X Factor to pursue a solo career as a singer.[6] [7]
On 19 November 2012, Rae released her debut hit single Watch My Ting Go, and a follow-up single titled High.[8] [9] She was nominated as the "Most Promising Female Act to Watch" at the 2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. Her video "Watch My Ting Go" premiered on Soundcity TV on 8 January 2013 with cameo appearances from Iyanya and Emma Nyra.[10] The video was nominated at the 10th Channel O Music Video Awards.[11]
Following the "Watch My Ting Go", Rae featured Iyanya on a song titled Fi Mi Le, which earned her another nomination at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.[12] [13] She made a cameo appearance as Ice Prince's love interest in the music video for his song "More".[14]
In May 2018, Rae gave birth to a daughter.[15]
| Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGA | GHA | RSA | AUS | UK | US | US R&B/HH | ||||||||
| "Watch My Ting Go" | 2012 | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||||
| "High" (featuring Bridge) | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Fi Mi Le" (featuring Iyanya) | 2013 | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "She Knows He Knows" | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "You Know What My Name Is" | 2015 | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "One Time" | 2016 | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGA | GHA | RSA | AUS | UK | US | US R&B/HH | ||||||||
| "Ginger"[16] (BOJ featuring Lola Rae) | 2013 | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||||
| "Coupe Bibamba (Remix)" (Awilo Longomba featuring Lola Rae) | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Egwu" (Nizzy featuring Lola Rae) | 2014 | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Work" (TeeJay featuring Lola Rae) | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Pele Mo" (Danagog featuring Lola Rae) | 2015 | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGA | GHA | RSA | AUS | UK | US | US R&B/HH | ||||||||
| "Africa Rising"[17] (Davido, Tiwa Savage, Lola Rae, Sarkodie, Diamond Platnumz and Mi Casa) | 2014 | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Award ceremony | Prize | Work/Recipient | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2013 Channel O Africa Music Video Awards | Most Gifted Newcomer | "Watch My Ting Go" | [18] | |
| 2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Most Promising Female Act to Watch | Herself | [19] | ||
| 2014 | 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Diaspora Artist of The Year | [20] |