Interview with Beautiful Nubia


Q: Please tell me what the new album Fèrè means to you and where do you see the progress as musician, singer, songwriter compared to its predecessors?

Beautiful Nubia: I think Fere showcases the greater cohesion of the band (it's has been the easiest album to record so far). Beyond this, there is really not much difference - we are still trying to reach people with uplifting messages while not losing sight of the need to be commercially attractive.

Q: Some of the songs are re-recordings from your Voice From Heaven album. Why did you re-record them? And in which way are they different from the original take?

Beautiful Nubia: The early recordings were done in a much different way and using fewer musicians. And since we normally play these songs at our shows and people love the new arrangements, we thought we should record them anew especially since some of them are suitable for ongoing events in the world.

Q: Ikoko Akufo is the theme song you've composed for the movie The Narrow Path. How did you meet filmmaker Tunde Kelani, what's the message of the movie and do you also play a part in the movie?

Beautiful Nubia: Tunde Kelani is a highly revered movie-maker in Nigeria and it's a thing of pride to provide this theme song for his movie. He just sent me an e-mail one day. We had never met but I had heard from some friends that he really liked my music. So he wrote asking if we could meet to discuss a project. Turned out he wanted some original music for a new movie entitled 'The Narrow Path'. Well, the movie is essentially about a young lady defiled before her wedding day who thus becomes subject to society's scorn and is driven to suicide. I think it explores the increasing conflict betwen the old traditional practises and modern trends in Africa. My role does not extend beyond providing the theme song.

Q: You've also recorded your versions of Yoruba folk songs on Fere. What do you like about these songs?

Beautiful Nubia: Only one song is made up entirely of folk songs which I arranged in a special Beautiful Nubia way. Two other songs only contain extracts of folk songs which were shared with me by different individuals and I realised they fitted well into songs I had been working on. All the songs, except one, I knew as a child so there is a special feeling of returning to the past in recording them.

Q: On the whole I think your songs like Dear Africa, Spirit Of A New Generation or Ohun Oju Nri have a real global message, which for me is dearly missed in most of today's music (at least the music covered on jazz-not-jazz). What do you think why are there so few musicians criticising today's politics?

Beautiful Nubia: I think there is a perception that it has all been done and it's no longer cool to seem like a social critic. I also feel there are very few REAL artistes recording music these days or whose music we get to hear from mainstream media. Sometimes it seems to me that all the authentic musical talent died with the 70s; now everyone is hustling to make money. I sense a lack of depth in many of the recording artistes out there, a lack of understanding of the issues, a disinterest in politics and those who play it. There are many uses of music - I try to use it as a tool for change and entertainment, many others use it as a tool for only entertainment, but neither use is wrong - there is a place for everyone.

Q: In recent years Asian countries like India and the People's Republic of China have become on of the "winners" of globalization. Though the price is very high. The environment suffers from contamination and people are working under degrading conditions. But companies already beginning to abandon their investments in India because it's too expansive there. What do you think will happen to the African continent if it becomes the new focus of globalization?

Beautiful Nubia: Oh, the political/business leaders in Africa will shout hurray and fall over themselves to get the biggest bite! Many people will find employment in the short term and quiet any dissenting voice. But will any of that solve Africa's problems? No! Many think an influx of capital, of foreign investments, will make Africans suddenly prosperous, as if money on its own can fix hundreds of years of institutionalised backwardness. First we need to fix the underlying reasons for the failure of the African socio-politico-economic system, create a peculiar African infrastructure that can sustain any positive change that we eventually introduce.

Q: Fela Kuti once wanted to become president of Nigeria. Would it be an option for you to become a politician?

Beautiful Nubia: I think so. I am not the kind of roadside critic who enjoys being the watchdog forever even when the changes you preach are not materialising. I also get tired easily of being in the perennial protest class - I will one day get off the critic/protest train and seek a chance to actualise all the ideas I have in my head, make something concrete out of the noise I make in my music, but that may be a bit little way off for now. My music is not even as well-known as it needs to be.

Q: Supposing you had the power to make a few political changes. What would be the three most important things you would change either in Nigeria or globally?

Beautiful Nubia: 1. Free the people's mind of over-reliance on foreign ideals and foreign solutions to local problems
2. Free the people's mind of over-dependence on religion and religious leaders
3. Free the people's mind of empty, selfish, and greedy materialistic pursuits

Q: Have you ever thought about getting your songs remixed to get your message to a larger audience? I really would like to hear what producer/remixers like Osunlade for example would come up with.

Beautiful Nubia: If such proposals come up, I would consider them and look into the possibility. As long as the remix does not cheapen the original, I'm all for it, but we'll see what the future brings.

Q: In our last interview you said that "it's pretty difficult being an artist not distributed on a major label to get people to take you serious but we look forward to the promise of the future." How content you are with the distribution you have reached so far? And where do you see an improvement?

Beautiful Nubia: In Nigeria, we are doing quite well despite the shaky, almost non-existent distribution network for my kind of music. On a global scale though, it's a different game. We are very far from where we want to be. I am not very content with the level of distribution but I have done all I can as an independent artist. Maybe one day, something will happen for us, some smart and forward-looking music marketing/distribution company out there will realise there is something worth looking at here and we'll get something bigger going.

Q: What can we expect from you and the Roots Renaissance Band in the future?

Beautiful Nubia: More of the same. I know that sounds boring but I am not in the business of hyping emptiness! Our music will keep evolving in its own way...the songs for the next album are almost all ready so there will another release next year whether we have sold a million copies of this one or not. We also intend to open our own club later this year in Lagos, Nigeria to cater to our fans and we will continue touring Nigeria and West Africa, barring any socio-political hindrances or security problems.

For more infos visit beautifulnubia.com, cdbaby.com and read my review of Fèrè, Awile and Jangbalajugbu and also have a look at previous interviews with Beautiful Nubia here and here.