Namvula

“Beautiful music….Namvula is a great new star poised and ready for orbit” WOM@TT

“A performance worth ululating about!” Daily Mail, Zambia

Evocative, lyrical and with a refreshing honesty, Namvula draws heavily on her Zambian heritage as well as referencing her Scottish roots and life in the diaspora, to produce an intoxicating and unique blend of uplifting global sounds.

One of the few Zambian artists performing in Europe, and described by BBC 3’s DJ Ritu as a ‘one of the most promising newcomers this year’, Namvula is a rapidly rising contemporary Afro-folk artist. She is working with some of the UK’s most respected African and jazz musicians, including bassist Liran Donin (Mercury-nominated Led Bib), percussionist Mamadou Sarr (Baaba Maal), and acclaimed guitarist Alfred ‘Kari’ Bannerman (Osibisa). Namvula has also collaborated and shared the stage with artists including legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, multi-award-winning Zambian vocalist Maureen Lilanda, and sitar player Anoushka Shankar, daughter of the late Ravi Shankar.

Singing in Zambian languages, as well as English, Portuguese and French, Namvula has delighted audiences in the UK, Europe and Africa with her fusion of traditional southern and western Africa sounds melded with Scottish folk and the contemporary cosmopolitan edge of London.

Through her music, she speaks out on issues facing modern-day Africa such as migration, identity and street children, as well as exploring stories about society, life and love.

Namvula’s forthcoming debut album ‘Shiwezwa’, produced by Liran Donin and mixed by Sonny (Fatoumata Diawara), has already been garnering interest in the ‘world music’ and folk circuits, with well-received radio appearances including BBC World Service and DJ Ritu’s ‘A World in London’.