Country: Nigeria
Reading about 26 year-old Nissi, it feels like she was put on this planet to put us all to shame. A mechanical engineer working for Range Rover, an animation studio founder, multi-linguist, a fine artist and a Afro-Jazz singer who has been releasing music since 2016 – she seems to have accomplished more in those twenty-six years than most folks do in a lifetime. Growing up in a musical family can’t have hurt – her older brother is Burna Boy, and her grandfather was the manager for the legendary Fela Kuti.
Most recently, Nissi released her first proper EP, Ignite, and shows and incredible aptitude for uplifting, danceable melodies. Combing pop, R&B, and afrobeat with lyrics in English, pidgin and Yoruba, the songs on the EP groove and vibe with vibrant sounds. “Holiday” is a three minutes and twenty seconds of sunny musical warmth, and single “Judi” shows off Nissi’s jazz-influenced vocals over a chill, EDM beat. Afropop guitars, snaps and handclaps make “Babalowa” a breezy bop.
Nissi is definitely an artist to keep an eye and ears on. Take a listen to some of great these tracks in our World Watch Playlist!
The Indy Review 