Nneka
Nneka, who was born in Nigeria on Christmas Eve, is a singer-songwriter who sings in English and her traditional language of Igbo. She’s the daughter of an Igbo Nigerian father and a German mother. After relocating to Hamburg, Germany, at the age of 18, she pursued a career in singing alongside a degree in Anthropology. Since 2003, she has been working closely with producer DJ Farhot and got her first break when she was the opening act for Sean Paul at Hamburg Stadtpark. After releasing her debut EP with the Yo Mama’s Recording Company, she did her first tour with stops in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Her first album was completed in 2005 and was released in Germany, England, France, Netherlands, Nigeria and Japan. The album earned rave reviews from media as the UK’s Sunday Times declared it “the year’s most criminally overlooked album,” comparing it to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. In 2008, she released her sophomore album, No Longer At Ease which combined political and personal subjects, close to Nneka’s heart. The lead single, “Heartbeat” became her first song to break into the German Top 50 as well as entering the UK Singles Chart at No. 20. She continued to tour throughout 2009 and even supported Lenny Kravitz on his French tour. This year has already been a whirlwind for Nneka; she has made her U.S. television debut, appearing on The Late Night With David Letterman and released her first album in the states, Concrete Jungle. In regards to Nneka’s music, blogger Perez Hilton has said “her music is a gift to the world” and Rolling Stone has given her 3.5/4 stars, stating she is “…inventive and inviting. It’s time the rest of us caught up with her.” Radio seems to be catching up with Nneka too as she has support from such tastemaker radio stations as KCRW Los Angeles, WXPN Philadelphia, KEXP Seattle, WKHS Baltimore, KUPD Phoenix, KNRK Portland, KSJO San Jose and WEQX Albany.
www.nnekaworld.com/us/home
|
|
|
