Nneka, the rising star!!

Nothing prepares you for what you eventually find when you engage singer, rapper, and songwriter, Nneka. Neither the unruly afro nor the petite frame prepares you for the profound personality buried underneath. However, one look in her eyes tells you there is more to the singer, and then a tour through her music will add the final stamp of conviction.

Born Nneka Egbuna in 1981 to a Nigerian father and a German mother, in Warri, Delta State, she has grown to be very vocal about her concern for the plight of the Niger Delta.

The 2009 MOBO Award winner first hit stardom as an artist in Europe before the Nigerian music scene began to acknowledge her. However, with or without the recognition of her homeland, the artist has taken her star quality even further to the United States where she toured for the most part of 2010 with the likes of Nas, who did a rap in a version of her ‘Heartbeat’ song, and Damian Marley.

“Before the album ‘Concrete Jungle’ was released, I did a mix tape which featured artists like Lauryn Hill, The Roots, and Nas, among others,” Nneka revealed, seated in a cozy bar at Bogobiri House.

The ‘Concrete Jungle’ tour was quite an experience for the artist as she had the opportunity of performing with artists such as Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, and Beyonce, among others. However, being on the road all year long was no mean feat.

“I thank God for my band. Most of them are older and married. They are disciplined too. We go to bed early and we eat well because some of them are vegetarians,” Nneka said of her band members.

In 2010, during her US tour, Nneka also performed on David Letterman’s ‘The Late Show’, going some way to create a fan base for herself in the US. She was also nominated for Best Female Artist at last year’s MTV MAMA awards which held in Lagos, and award eventually clinched by rapper, Sasha. But Nneka remains undaunted.

Life elsewhere

She once stated in an interview that, “I gained an awareness of Africa in Germany. I think if I hadn’t stepped out of Africa, if I hadn’t lived in Germany, I wouldn’t have had that mindset today.”

Asked what she meant, the artist explained that, “Before I moved out of Nigeria, I was aware alright. I grew up in the Niger Delta. When I went out of Nigeria, I had the opportunity to know myself. I wouldn’t say my parents were poor but we had to hustle. My mind was occupied with getting by.”

“Stepping out gave me the opportunity to get to know myself and music. I developed the urge to express myself so that I’ll not be misunderstood because up till then, I was always misunderstood,” she added.

Furthermore, “it helped to develop my identity and personality, got me interested in music, and made me understand that my music had to have a message.”

Leaving Nigeria for Germany in 2000 became imperative for the artist and marked the beginning of another phase in her life. “I started studying while also working part time jobs,” she disclosed. In Germany, she met Nigerians like herself also working hard to make a living.

According to her, some of them just wanted to forget about Nigeria. Listening to their plight and some of her own experiences helped to create various themes for her creative repertoire. One of those experiences was racism.

Back in Nigeria, Nneka never saw herself as anything but black. “I never felt different till I stepped out and experienced racism,” she said.

The height of it was at Hamburg University where she was studying Archeology and Anthropology. At the time, she was the only Nigerian in her department.

One of her professors refused to give her marks for her dissertation. He made clear his disdain for her colour and her attempt to gain a degree in that particular field. “You people are good at sports and music. That’s enough,” she quoted him. She eventually graduated but, “I always had to prove myself.”

Her music

On what music means to her, the artist says music is a reflection of everything happening within her.

“I don’t look for topics like: ‘Oh, I have to sing about corruption today’. It comes naturally. It’s almost like a confession; almost like therapy for me.”

On when she first realised she had ‘it’, Nneka laughs and states modestly that “I still don’t have it.”

“I always knew that I could sing, but I never knew that I wanted to sing. I never thought I’ll be doing what I am doing now. All I wanted was to get out and be free, and learn. I wanted a degree,” she confessed.

Going back to her childhood, Nneka noted that, “as a child, I always played house. And I realise that I was always the mother; the figure of authority. I had a shrine and I had my imaginary friends, but I was in charge. Even today, I like to be in control. I like to know I can survive by myself and that reflects in my music,” she disclosed. “But I am not always that strong,” she reflected.

On her website, her music is described as having a ‘big splash of Bob Marley, a measure of Nina Simone, and a lick of Erykah Badu’. Nneka also acknowledges influence from Fela, Victor Uwaifo, Sunny Okosuns, Sunny Ade, and Shina Peters.

Film debut

Her recent foray into the world of make believe is certainly something to talk about. Sometime ago, she wrapped up shooting for Andy Amadi Okoroafor’s new movie ‘Relentless’. The movie, which was screened at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), held in Port Harcourt last December, features her alongside ‘Tinsel’ actor, Gideon Okeke.

Nneka plays Honey, a prostitute with ties to ruthless politicians. According to her, “The movie shows Lagos from a raw side but with class,” she says. The singer also performs with musician, Ade Bantu, on a song from the movie’s soundtrack, ‘Waiting’.

Next steps

Nneka is recording her next album for Europe and the United States and hopes to release it in Nigeria later.

“You have to be creative to run the Nigerian market and keep yourself in the minds of your audience,” she declares.

On why she does not have a Nigerian record label, she goes on to recount her experience when she first wanted to break into the local industry. According to her, it was always one story or the other with some of the labels. “Some of them wanted to redefine my image,” she says.

Nneka is not all about music, as she is involved in Rope Foundation, a non-governmental organisation she co-founded with Sierra Leonean-Liberian artist, Hameed Nyei, who used to work with ex-child soldiers.

She is also the NGO’s project manager for Nigeria. “We do workshops with kids that are less privileged. We use music as a platform for them to express themselves,” she says.

With the steady progress she is making, already a popular name in Europe and Africa, and making inroads into the American music scene with her unique and refreshing brand of music, it is clear that Nneka is not resting on her oars.