 |
| Nabiha Bensouda, Award-Winning, Chart-Topping Danish-African Pop Soul-Singer |
"I make pop music, with elements of urban, electronic, world, rock, and many other genres. Anything goes when it comes to making music, for me it's all in the mix."
OFP: What inspires you?
"I get inspired by people, traveling, art, experiences, love. Sometimes waking up with the sun in my face is enough to inspire me. Other times I stay indoors for a couple of days. A little while back I would wake up in the middle of the night with a melody or a line. It's funny how your subconsciousness works, even after everything else is put to rest."
OFP: Describe your creative process?
"I always prepare before going to the studio, lyrics, melodies, titles, etc. I might be in the mood to write a love song, but that can change when I get to the studio. I like vibing off the people I work with, and I've been so lucky to spend time with some amazingly talented people. I feel like I'm getting my points across musically, and at the same time learning everyday."
OPF: Tell us about your first live performance and how has your live show changed since then?
"My very first NABIHA-gig was warming up for James Morrison. We only had a couple of days to prep for the show, and I didn't even have a band yet. I was dancing around on that huge stage, singing my heart out. It was a crazy and incredible experience, and it puts the biggest smile on my face when I think about it.
Now I have a beautiful band, and we've been playing venues, festivals, National TV & Radio shows all over. Supporting artist such as Jason Derülo & Jamie Cullum, and most recently I was asked to represent the new millenia of music at HRM Queen of Denmark's 40th Anniversary Celebration."
OFP: If you had a theme song, what would it be?
"Probably something like the "Pink Panther" theme song, its a great tune. Memorable, sexy & funny at the same time - I would love for that to be the theme song of my life."
OFP: What do you want people to get from your music?
"I hope my music makes you happy. I love when people come up to me and say how they've also fallen in love with they're best friend ("The Enemy"), how "You" helped them through a break up, or how they know exactly what made us write a song about sleeping ("Deep Sleep"). I appreciate when people read the lyrics, and even though I might have thought of something specific when I/we wrote the song, It might mean something completely different to the listener. Either way it's a win win-situation! It makes me happy to know that others can use my music in they're everyday life - and know that I'm giving you all a musical hug when you do :-) "
OFP: How often are you able to get a ‘Deep Sleep’?
"Not much these days, haha. But it's all good! A lot of great things are happening, and that's what we've been working so hard for. Now we really have to keep up, but luckily it also becomes more and more fun, so I'll just 'Deep Sleep' later."
OFP: What has been one of your proudest moments so far?
"There has been so many great moments, it's hard to pick just one - but our last gig in our 2011 tour, was something very special to me! We played one of our best concerts in an amazing venue, and my whole family was there. It always gets to me when they're there. I was very proud of myself and my band, everything sort of came together. I couldn't believe how many people had come to hear us play, it was quite an AHA-moment for me. There was even people from France who flew in just to see the show."
OFP: Tell us something that would surprise your fans about you?
"I'm such a sci fi-nerd. Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, you name it! It makes me relax and I love it."
OFP: What do you have on ‘repeat’ on your ipod?
"If there's something I like, I will have it on repeat a million times and still not get bored. Lately it's been artists like Frank Ocean, Emeli Sandé, Azealia Banks, Chase & Status & Lauryn Hill."
OFP: Who would you love to collaborate with?
"I would love to collaborate with artist like Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz, Grace Jones and Kelis. They've got a style and sound I like. The aren't afraid to push limits and experiment, and I like that. It's all about expressing yourself and having fun, I think they do both very well."
OFP: What can we expect from you in 2012?
"I'm gonna devote most of my time in 2012 to making my next album, playing concerts and doing promotion all over - and I can't wait!"
Press Release
POP SOUL SINGER-SONGWRITER:
NABIHA
DEBUT ALBUM “CRACKS” REVAMPED AND
RERELEASED AS “MORE CRACKS” TO CRITICAL ACCLAIM
THROUGHOUT DENMARK, SWEDEN, NORWAY, AND FINLAND
US RELEASE COMING SOON
NOMINATED “NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR”
AT THE 2010 DANISH MUSIC AWARDS
& “ARTIST TO WATCH” BY CONCRETE LOOP
UPCOMING LIVE US DEBUT PERFORMANCES AT
ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL in NYC on 2/12/2012 at 8:30PM
& HOTEL CAFÉ in LA on 2/25/2012 at 7:00PM
SOUL-INSPIRED POP GEM “DEEP SLEEP”
REACHES NO. 5 ON DANISH AIRPLAY CHARTS:
[APPROVED TO EMBED AND POST]
“Music isn’t the only thing we love about this fresh face on the scene, Nabiha’s playful,
carefree style has also caught our eye and has her making a name for herself in
Europe’s fashion scene. Her big hair, colorful makeup, and bold outfits reflect her
personality and individual style. Nabiha is definitely living up to her name and is a
woman to keep your eye on as she continues to make music that touches the soul.”
- CLUTCH MUSIC
“Nabiha has been around most genres and has now developed her own unique style,
which is strengthened by her sublime and distinctive vocals. She possesses an energy
and attitude that bewitches the listener of her music in a brilliant way.”
- POPJUSTICE
Nabiha Bensouda, the award-winning, chart-topping Danish-African pop soul-singer, is currently dominating the pop music scene in Scandinavia and is poised and ready to take on the US.
Nabiha, whose family has both Danish and North-West African roots, grew up in Copenhagen, Denmark listening to a wide variety of music ranging from African lullabies to disco, soul, reggae, Rock, R&B, and electronica, all of which are present in Nabiha’s style today. “Deep Sleep” her first single includes one of her mother’s favorite African lullabies. “I grew up with a welcoming, loving, strong mother and grandmother who taught me so much about life. I was constantly inspired by the love of people around me. I feel lucky.”
In February 2010, Nabiha released her debut album “Cracks” to critical acclaim. “Deep Sleep,” the first single from the album, premiered on MTVU and was named “Song of the Day” on international tastemaker site Popjustice. After non-stop live television and radio performances in Denmark, Germany, and Poland, “Deep Sleep” could be heard everywhere from television to radio to film. The song peaked at #5 on the overall Danish airplay charts and the accompanying video has had over 500,000 views on YouTube.
Nabiha’s second single, “The Enemy,” (no. 5 on airplay) has been licensed to cinema premieres for “Sex And The City 2,” “Basketball Wives of LA,” “The Hills (Scandinavian),” and the Danish Blockbuster “Alle For En.” It was also named an “Essential Track” on Roger Sanchez’s Radio Show, “Song of the Day” on Popjustice, and the Daddy’s Groove remix of the song made it to No. 3 on the UK Buzz Chart, as well as into Top 5 in Denmark.
“Cracks” propelled Nabiha into the international spotlight: She was named “Artist of the Year” at The Best African Achievement Awards and was nominated for “New Artist of the Year” at the Danish Music Awards and both “Listener’s Hit of the Year” and “New Talent of the Year” at the National Radio Awards. In 2010 alone she was invited to support James Morrison, Jason Derulo, Jamie Cullum, and Rasmus Seebach (Danish 10x Platinum selling artist) on their sold out tours in Denmark and Germany. Nabiha was also invited to perform at the Reperbahn Festival, the Skanderborg Festival, the SPOT Festival, Earth Hour, and the Danish National Football Stadium, which lead to a strong positive review from leading Danish music magazine Gaffa (equivalent to NME in the US):
“Danish Nabiha with the African Roots was a strong and positive experience. She did two refreshing up-tempo songs style-wise around retro-soulish Amy Winehouse meets Duffy and modern style pluralists like M.I.A. and Santigold – and she really sang well. She’s gonna be big”
- GAFFA
In February 2011, after signing to DiscoWax, Nabiha headlined a sold out tour of Denmark before releasing “More Cracks,” the international re-edit of her debut album. The album, produced/ co-written by Carl Ryden, Tommy D (Graffiti 6), Michelle Escoffery (Anastacia), and Jeremy Wheatley (Royksopp, Robyn, Leona Lewis), was recorded in both London and Los Angeles. “I really wanted to work a bit more on “Cracks,” as so much happened over the last year in my life.”
“Trouble,” the first single from the album, is a stress relief song; “This song is about me learning to deal with the new changes in my life, keeping up with deadlines, paying bills, and pushing myself as an artist while trying to stay creative and positive at the same time.” Other new songs on “More Cracks” include “Sound of My Gun,” “Can’t Do Anything,” and “Never Played the Bass.” “Never Played The Bass,” the album’s second single, has already reached No. 6 on the Denmark Airplay Charts and is still climbing. Watch the video for the single here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugacn9WHsJ8
In the past month alone, Nabiha has made appearances on all major television shows in Denmark, including Sports Awards 2012, She was also asked by HRM Queen of Denmark to perform a Stevie Wonder Cover at her 40th Anniversary in front of all the European Royal Families. Her music has also been synced on television, with “You” featured on last week’s episode of Mob Wives, and she has eight upcoming syncs scheduled to appear on Basketball Wives of LA, Mob Wives and more.
Nabiha is currently writing and recording her next album, due out in 2012, and on February 3, she will perform at an already sold out show in Denmark. In late February Nabiha will be making her US performance debut, first at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC on 2/21/2012 at 8:30pm, and then at Hotel Café in LA on 2/25/2012 at 7pm. To be added to the limited guest lists for these US premiere performances, please contact amanda@themusebox.net. Other confirmed 2012 appearances include performances in Greenland on March 3-5th, as well as a full festival tour this summer in Scandianvia.
0 comments:
Post a Comment