Nneka

Nneka Lucia Egbuna has a Nigerian father and a German mother. She lives in Hamburg and ‘our’ Selah Sue thinks very highly of her. Musically speaking she hovers between African rhythms and European grooves. The alliance of afro-beat, hip hop, reggae and soul is sharpened by a fanatic political conscience. You can find it in the songs and in the texts binding the songs together. However, it is not disturbing because it swings. Nneka started singing in a church choir in Nigeria. At the age of 18 she went to Germany to study anthropology, but she just kept on singing. In no time at all she managed to land the supporting act slots of Gnarls Barkley, Lauryn Hill and Sean Paul. After her second album ‘No Longer At Ease’ (2009) she got to tour France with Lenny Kravitz. That year she was pronounced Best African Act at the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards in Great Britain. It moved her focus towards the United States. But first mainland Europe had to be conquered. The battering-ram is called ‘Soul Is Heavy’ (2011) and fills the void that Neneh Cherry left – for far too long.