Nneka (singer)

Nneka ( born December 24, 1980 in Warri, Nigeria, Nneka Egbuna full name ) is a Hamburg-based Nigerian Hip-Hop/Soul-Sängerin and songwriter. She sings in her native English, often in Igbo and Nigerian pidgin.

Life

Nneka is the daughter of a Nigerian father and a German mother. She grew up in the Nigerian city of Warri and moved at the age of 18 years on to Germany, where they first lived in a group home a children's home in Hamburg- Altona. Your first appearances had Nneka with the school and church choir.

Since 2003 she has worked in Hamburg with DJ Farhot. Her breakthrough came when she appeared in June 2004 without its own publications in the opening act of the dancehall artist Sean Paul at Hamburg Stadtpark.

After the production of their debut EP The Uncomfortable Truth was completed with the music label Yo Mama, Nneka was seen from the end of April 2005 on the opening act of Patrice Bart-Williams at 17 concerts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In September of the same year her debut album Victim Of Truth, followed by a first own tour in Germany as well as support for Seeed concerts appeared in spring 2006 and a further site tour.

The album was also released in France, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Japan. This was followed by shows in Paris ( Maroquinerie, New Morning), in Utrecht (Tivoli ), Amsterdam ( Paradiso ) and London ( ULU ). Furthermore, Nneka appeared at festivals in Haarlem ( Bevrijdingspop ), The Hague ( Park Pop ), Saint- Brieuc ( Art Rock Festival) and the Chiemsee Reggae Summer on.

In 2006, the Sunday Times called the album " the year 's most criminally overlooked album ".

With their album No Longer at Ease and the single Heartbeat Nneka in 2008 reached great popularity in the UK, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The album carries the same title as a novel of the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe. The songs on the album tell how the novel by the conditions in the Nigerian Delta State and denounce the corruption. Political and individual experiences merge into a "winning mix of soul, hip - hop and reggae ."

Together with the German rapper Curse took her on the track baby.

2009 Box To and Fro was issued. It includes the albums Victim of Truth and No Longer at Ease, and a third CD with different tracks, including live versions and demos of older songs as well as videos of all the singles released. In the same year her music video Heartbeat was nominated in three categories for the Price Channel O Music Awards of the South African music TV station Channel O. In September 2009, she won the award for Best African Artist at the MOBO Awards.

During a U.S. tour in late 2009 Nneka has given concerts in New York City, Vienna, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco. To kick off the next concert series in winter 2010 she was a guest at the Late Show with David Letterman with her song Heartbeat.

An international guest and performances marked the further career of Nneka: You entered 2010 in Europe, Africa and Israel and played at festivals in the U.S. such as Lollapalooza, South by Southwest, " Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival ", Lilith Fair and Newport Folk Festival. Before she joined the opening act for The Roots in New York and accompanied in the same year Nas and Damian Marley on their " Distant Relatives " U.S. tour.

The third appeared in 2011 album Soul Is Heavy is oriented compared to the previous releases on Soul. This offer individual title space for cross-references to Afropop, pop, reggae, jazz, hip hop to flamenco and Desert Blues, creating a musical complexity of the album as a whole is achieved. Two tracks on this album were recorded with Ms. Dynamite and Black Thought of The Roots.

The release was followed by a tour through France, Germany, England, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, and the first time through Norway, Sweden and Slovenia.

In spring 2012, Nneka played at the invitation of the Goethe -Institut in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda. In the summer she performed at music festivals, including the Hurricane Festival, Southside Festival, Rock Werchter in Belgium, "The V Festival" in the UK and " Way Out West " in Sweden. Also in 2012, she completed two tours of the U.S. and Canada with a total of 30 shows. This year she gave concerts for the first time in Bulgaria, Greece and Russia.

At the end of the season in Europe Nneka appeared in the Paris Olympia Hall.

In March 2013, it played before 1200 fans at the Apollo Theater in New York during the festival for modern African music " Africa Now ". In the published in May 2013 album False Idols by Tricky she sings the song Nothing matters.

Music style

Even though Nneka sings more than raps, she refers musical influences from hip- hop with bonds of dub, soul, reggae and Afrobeat. She says: "For my music, there is no drawer. I do what I want. "Their lyrics are about her life in Germany and her childhood in Nigeria. Among her musical heroes it counts both the artist Fela Kuti and Bob Marley as well as contemporary rappers Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Mobb Deep and Lauryn Hill. Inspired by the spirituality of reggae music treat many of their texts religious values. Morality and the importance of family are recurring themes in her title.

Discography

Albums

  • 2005: Victim of Truth
  • 2009: To and Fro (3 CD Box Set)
  • 2010: Concrete Jungle
  • 2011: Soul is Heavy

EPs

  • 2005: The Uncomfortable Truth

Singles

  • 2005: The Uncomfortable Truth
  • 2006: Beautiful
  • 2006: God of Mercy
  • 2007: Africans
  • 2008: Heartbeat
  • 2008: Walking
  • 2009: Kangpe
  • 2010: Viva Africa ( 2010 FIFA World Cup Album)
  • 2011: Soul is Heavy
  • 2011: My Home
  • 2012: Shining Star
Hip hop music Igbo language Paradiso (Amsterdam) Newport Folk Festival Olympia (Paris) Discogs Integrated Authority File
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