Nneka on her 7-year silence, working with Nas, Black Thought, 'Heartbeat' & Afrobeat — interview

Nneka is a brilliant and captivating Nigerian singer, rapper and poet compared to Ms. Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. Last year she returned to the stage after 7 years of silence with the amazing album "Love Supreme", and last month she released a brand new EP titled "Back and Forth". Earlier this year she visited Poland, and we got a chance to see her rock the crowd and put on a phonemenal show with a live band.

Before the performance, we managed to sit down with Nneka for a conversation that touched on a wide range of topics. From collaborations with Nas and Black Thought, through the global success of the hit "Heartbeat" to the reasons for the long publishing silence and coming back with a new album after 7 years. Nneka also broke down the difference between afrobeat and afrobeats, including the legacy of Fela Kuti, talked about the importance of addressing social issues in music & remembered coming up with DJ Farhot and creating their unique sound - and more!

Interviewer: Mateusz Natali
Camera, video editing: Marcin Natali

00:00 Intro, "My Love, My Love" live
00:43 Impressions from Poland
01:01 Reasons for 7 years of silence
01:53 "Love Supreme" LP - reactions
02:28 Afrobeats - current popularity
04:41 Afrobeat vs. afrobeats - difference
05:23 Raising social and political issues in music
06:26 The power of music as a medium
07:26 Spirituality and faith in music and life
08:57 The main impulse to create
12:44 DJ Farhot - history of cooperation
15:04 "Heartbeat" - why is it so successful?
16:45 Working with Nas
17:34 Black Thought - collab and meeting with The Roots
19:00 Greatest musical achievement?
19:52 Last words to Polish fans

#Nneka