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Nonso Amadi Returns with ‘Foreigner’
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Ferdinand Ekechukwu
Following the release of the 2019 ‘Free’ EP, Nonso Amadi made the conscious decision to step away from social media and pause the release of music — all to take a deeper dive into his artistry and separate from noise and distraction. Today, the Canadian-based Afro-R&B, soul singer, songwriter, and producer from Nigeria, makes an illustrious return sharing the new track “Foreigner” proudly presented with management team; Jade Busola and Quiet As Kept (Trung Hoang, Gavin Sheppard) alongside label partners UMG Nigeria, Def Jam Records and Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company.
“Foreigner” showcases Amadi’s duality, a smooth and seductive record which contains African drumlins, trance-like saxophone instrumentation, and is layered with other soulful jazz elements.
Amadi describes the track further: “during the process of creating ‘Foreigner’ I was driven by the idea of making a song that addressed both my disappearance from the music scene and the typical love drama my R&B self is typically drawn to making.
“The way I achieved this was by having the song feel like it has emphatic highs and lows. It starts heavy with the drums and chant but then it breathes a little in the verses; allowing me to sing calmly about the topics I mentioned earlier before going back to a heavily drum laid chorus.”
Speaking about returning to music, Nonso explains: “I felt like I needed such a pronounced yet groovy re-entry to the scene to express all the pent-up feelings I’ve held in while keeping it light and easily palatable for listeners.”
Amadi recently traveled to Kingston, Jamaica to join a lineup of reggae, roots, and dancehall legends, including Marcia Griffiths, Bugle, Amanyea, Tony Rebel, Gyptian, Queen Ifrica for Bob Marley’s Roots ‘77 Birthday Concert, an Earthstong celebration event. The concert was live streamed on February 6, 2022, with Nonso performing original tracks “Better” featuring Simi, “No Crime,” as well as a tribute performance of Bob Marley’s song “Africa Unite” all recorded from the historic Tuff Gong studio.
Amadi celebrates the release of “Foreigner” today from his hometown of Lagos, surrounded by the family and fans that nurtured his early aspirations while fuelling his global forays. Amadi has since cemented himself in the next generation of artistes bringing Alte, Afro-R&B to the international stage. Amadi is set to perform live for Lagos fans at the Mainland Block Party tomorrow February 27.
Beginning his musical career while studying in Nigeria at Covenant University, and then Swansea University in the UK, Amadi transformed into a sonic globetrotter after his move to Canada – leading him to fuse the soul & rhythm of African music with modern soft textures of R&B. With an affinity for contemporary R&B, Amadi developed a desire to explore North America and Africa in equal parts – citing Toronto native Drake’s genre-hopping capability as an inspiration for his own creative fluidity.