Nneka: Portrayl of a committed artist

Born from a German mother and a Nigerian father, Nneka Egbuna is a multifaceted artist. In her wide range musical skills, Nneka can adapt her powerful voice for the requirements of the soul music as well as splashing rap and reggae flows. In the same way as her miscegenation, her music is a mix of different styles, sonorities and influences.

Nneka Egbuna was born in Warri, one of the major city of the State of Delta. She grew up in a revolutionary surrounding as the Delta State is the heartland of diverse claims of autonomy from people of southern Nigeria. The same revolutionary expression we feel once we listen to her music. From an early age she spent in Warri, she sang in school and joined the church choir group. Upon coming into adulthood, she flew away to Germany. She settled in Hamburg. In this new environment, Nneka started to focus entirely on her music career. In Hamburg, she went to different artistic places where her voice leaves no one indifferent.

Her career really took off in 2004. This year, she was invited to perform the first part of the concert of the Jamaican world star Sean Paul in Germany. This unexpected spotlight was a big windfall for her. She conquered a wide range of public. The first EP entitled “The Uncomfortable Truth» is released in the same year. Because of this visibility, she continued performing first parts of concerts in different cities around Germany. She earned a solid fan base in Germany thanks to the different concerts. In 2005, everything is ready for the release of her eagerly-awaited debut album. In autumn 2005, the album “Victim of The Truth” is officially released in Germany, in France, in Nigeria, in England and even in Japan. This first album wasn’t a commercial success, but it was acclaimed by reviews. The UK’s Sunday time compared it favourably to “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” of the American Lauryn Hill. After a two years break, Nneka signed her “come back” in 2008 with a brand new album entitled “No Longer to Ease”. The album title is inspired by the novel of the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe. In this album, darker and more personal, Nneka take a political stand in her songs. “No Longer to Ease” is an introspective album of personal experiences of Nneka. She condemns the condition of the people of Niger Delta and generalized corruption of the Nigerian system. The single “Heartbeat” breaks to the German top 50 and UK charts. Following the promotion of the album, she collaborated with the French engaged rapper Medine in a song titled “A l’ombre du mal”. Before starting her American tour in 2009, she is invited to the Late Show presented by David Letterman in New York. In 2010, she collaborates in the common album of Nas and Damian Marley entitled “Distant Relatives”. Nneka has also recorded a song to celebrate the first African World Cup.

Pursuing her political commitment through the music, she puts a critical look on the situation of Nigeria. She dedicated a song entitled "Pray for you" for the victims of Boko-Haram. Native from two cultures, she remains not less silent when it is about denouncing the drift of capitalism and the racism in the world.

Nneka won the Nigerian best local artist prize at the Entertainment ceremony in New York in 2010. She released her third album “Concrete Jungle”. In 2015, her last album “My Fairy Tales” came out. She participated with others great African singers to the “Amazones d’Afrique”, a sensibilization campaign for human rights and gender equality in Africa.