Admin l Monday, September 11, 2017
LAGOS, Nigeria – Nissi Ogulu is here to stay. Her latest song Familiar, a track produced by Chopstix is a mix of afro pop and funk following her 2016 Fela-esque song Pay Attention.
In Familiar, Nissi hints on getting away from negativity, frustration and being taken advantage of. The song tells on a need for change and focus on positive things. The track Familiar isn’t hard to decipher though, it was artistically composed as a message. In the intro, she sings “Ready or not here I come” a motto that signifies taking on the world with her music.
Familiar is an outlet to put her downsides aside and focus on trying to get closer to a place of familiarity between herself and supporters of her music.
The brilliant fusion of afro pop, jazz and even sampling some other genres of music tells on Nissi’s style of music. It’s a song that fits where it should in the mood that it should. This jam is bound to increase the awareness of her music in Nigeria and beyond.
Song link: https://soundcloud.com/nissination/familiar/s-NOuNV
About Nissi
Nissi Ogulu (Nissi) is a London based Nigerian singer, songwriter and painter. Born in 1995 to Bose and Samuel Ogulu, the 22-year-old Port Harcourt-born singer and younger sister to Nigerian artiste Burna Boy started her musical journey when she was about six years old. She studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Warwick in the UK but that didn’t interfere with her passion for music.
On Monday, September 19th 2016, the singer dropped her debut single “Criminal”, a catchy R&B-infused piece produced by Cornel Sorian that got her proper introduction to the Nigerian Music Industry. The track was a mix of Funk and Jazz music wrapped into one. The 22-year old later released the official visuals for “Pay Attention” channeling Legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti and directed by 2012 Stanley Kubrick Award winner Labi Odebunmi, the afro beat song and video was framed around imagery of war and protest. The ‘Pay Attention’ visuals provoked a politically charged message. Her third single titled Familiar, was produced by Chopstix and was released days ago following her 2016 song Pay Attention.
The singer describes music as her truth; it passes her message to the world. She describes music as her safe haven. It is the one thing that she can always depend on to bring joy, sadness or sanity to the craziness that can sometimes be life.
She is often seen as a goofy, smart, eccentric and empathic. Her unique artistry cannot be defined because her music is a fusion of afro, jazz, highlife, and funk with hints of other genres.With her style of music, she defines her creativity, diversity and song style as a visual representation that lies as a cross between Beyonce and John Legend.
Nissi Ogulu is more than just a singer; she is well on her way to the creative world as a painter and founder of an art company called NORRD which has a publicized exhibition called “The Norrd Phenomenon” that makes custom designs for fashion and products. Other than her painting skills, Nissi plays several musical instruments and sings afro jazz well. With an A-list brother Burnaboy, and an award winning music critic Benson Idonije, Nissi is an artiste to look out for.
