"A rare creator of rich sounds"
(The Punch - Nigeria)
Beautiful Nubia is the performance name of Nigerian-born poet, songwriter, folklorist and bandleader, Segun Akinlolu.
Beautiful Nubia’s songs of cultural celebration, social upliftment and public enlightenment have inspired millions of people in his country of birth. As independent as any artist can ever be, BN writes, arranges, produces and markets his own music. His original songs, rich in folkloric traditions and ancient wisdom, have impressed many, including elders, and his ability to re-invent old folk rhythms and songs has led to a description as “one of those who have come to redeem the image of traditional African music” (The Vanguard, 2001). He has evolved a form of music which appeals to a continuously growing market comprising all sections of the populace: the poor and the rich, unlettered market-women and university professors, urban youth and rural folk, male and female, young and old.
Segun Akinlolu was born in Ibadan, Nigeria in 1968. He studied Veterinary Medicine at the University of Ibadan for six years and worked as a Veterinary Doctor in Lagos, Nigeria for another eight years before finally giving in to his lifelong passion to be a full-time musician and poet. In 1997, while recording his first full-length album and pondering how to introduce himself as a musician, Segun decided upon the performance name of “Beautiful Nubia” to remind every young African of a time when people like them ruled the world and were masters of the sea, the air and the land. In so doing, perhaps, young Africans would find something positive and inspiring to hold on to from the past which they could employ in projecting to the future.
Beautiful Nubia’s ability to fuse ancient tradition and rhythms with contemporary sounds reached a distinctly new level of achievement with Jangbalajugbu (2002), his ground-breaking third album, which has sold in excess of a million copies. Awilele (2004) is a no-holds-barred celebration of the artist's political views while Fere (2006) has been praised as a masterful fusion of ancient wisdom and contemporary philosophy served on a base of sweet sounds thus earning the artist the sobriquet "Nigeria's King of Melody". Marrying the didactic with the spiritually elevating and the gently grounding, Kilòkilò (2007), brings together the diverse elements upon which Beautiful Nubia’s music has been built for over a decade of recording. Irinajo, the latest album, puts a stamp on what can be described as the Beautiful Nubia style and his stubborn refusal to be pigeon-holed. It is a testament to the talent base of the artist and the musicians who have been with him for more than a decade.
Discography: Irinajo (2010); Kilòkilò (2007); Fere (2006); Awilele (2004); Jangbalajugbu (2002); Fire On The Roof (2001); Voice From Heaven (1999); Seven Lifes (1997)
Publications: Waiting For The Bones (poetry, 1997); Thinking Big (poetry, 2000); On A Cold Evening (poetry cd, 2000); The King's Messenger (2004); Where Rivers Sing A Song (2004); Citadel Blues (Fiction, 2004); Like A Tale At Night (poetry cd, 2006)