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'We’ve been told black feminist music doesn’t have a space'

ARTIST AND ACTIVIST: Akua Naru's third studio album, The Blackest Joy, is out now

RAPPER, POET, vocalist and songwriter Akua Naru has combined her love of music and travel to narrate the stories of the ancestors and honour her people.

Her passion for the arts started when she was a young girl – she always wanted to be a writer.

“I didn’t know you could live life as a musician. Growing up you weren’t sure how successful you could be through art, but I just knew I wanted to be a writer because I love poetry,” she says.

Naru champions power, black experiences and identity through her fusion of jazz-soul sounds. “My music is about life and me living in the body of a black woman,” she says proudly.

She continues: “I’m inspired by so much because I love music and I love travelling. It makes me so happy to blend my favourite things together where I’m able to make meaning through songs. I was raised in the church and I have a strong gospel Pentecostal background so I’m sure that has to do with who I am.”

The influences of her roots and heritage have also set the foundation for her movements in music. “Culture is everything, it’s the lens through which I see.

“Spending more and more time in the continent has a lot to do with it. I’m proud to be a black woman. I’m a sister, traveller, lover, and friend. It’s who I am.

“As an artist, it’s about having the courage to tell the truth through your work. It’s about the reality that we live where we’re shaped by the things around us,” she says.

Speaking about what stimulates her poetic and musical talent, Naru says: “My power comes from the ancestors. This is beyond race and beyond the identities of one human being. Especially if I see something that is of a concern to me, or something that’s not being spoken about, I need to write about it.

“In doing so, other people may feel the same way as I do and over time. It makes you stronger when you know there are people who listen and truly understand. It’s beyond the body, my songs resonate with people and that’s what I express. I just thank God for the bravery to put the message out.”

Naru continues to captivate audiences across the globe. Speaking about some of the highlights of her unstoppable career, she says: “In the last two to three years I’ve done a lot of touring in Africa and I’ve had so many amazing conversations with my brothers and sisters on the continent.”

Despite critics who say there’s no room for black feminist sounds, Naru has carved out out a place for herself in the music industry – and her international reach proves that people are listening.

“There are people all over the world with no access to the story of my people but they come out with love and admiration. For a long time we’ve been told black feminist music doesn’t have a space and it’s a lie.

“When people come through and support, it’s all a highlight and we thank God. I love bringing my music anywhere in the world,” she says.

On her third studio album, The Blackest Joy, Naru can be heard alongside “the father of Ethio-Jazz”, Mulatu Astatke, and Ugandan Eco-artist and vocal powerhouse, Sandra Suubi. The 11-track album embraces culture, languages and experiences, which can be heard around the world as Naru continues to proclaim what she loves.

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