Nneka

Nneka Lucia Egbuna is a German-Nigerian singer and songwriter whose work combines neo soul, reggae and soul, with hip hop also present in her early recordings. She sings in Igbo and English. She is born in 1980 and is associated with Warri and Germany.

Career

She relocates to Hamburg in 2003 and works closely there with the hip hop beatmaker DJ Farhot. She first draws public attention in 2004 as an opening act for dancehall reggae artist Sean Paul at Hamburg Stadtpark.

Her debut EP, The Uncomfortable Truth, is released on Yo Mama’s Recording Company. She then tours with Patrice, with shows in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. She finishes her first album, Victim of Truth, in autumn 2005. The album receives strong critical attention, and the Sunday Times later describes it as one of the year’s most overlooked albums, comparing it with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Her second album, No Longer at Ease, appears in 2008. Its title comes from Chinua Achebe’s novel of the same name, and the record’s lyrics focus on political and personal themes, including the Niger Delta and corruption in her homeland. The single “Heartbeat” becomes her first song to enter the German Top 50.

In 2009 she gives her first concert tour in the United States, with performances in New York City, Vienna, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and she also appears as a special guest at a Roots jam session. Her US release Concrete Jungle is scheduled for 2010.

She records Soul Is Heavy in Nigeria. Her track “Shinning” tops global charts in 2013.

Other work

Nneka co-founds the ROPE foundation with Genda and Ahmed Nyei from Sierra Leone. She works extensively in charity and arts through the foundation in Sierra Leone. She also works with Reebok.