Original Story Published by: Vinita Tiwari for Indulge
Photo Source: ©Tita Nzebi
(Above) From Kolkata is Tita Nzebi's second album.
TITA Nzebi, the Gabonese singer, who is well - known for her blues, jazz and rumba numbers, will release her second album, From Kolkata, this month.
The singer has collaborated with Baul singers Titash Sen, Gobinda Das Bairagya and Sandip Bag for this album. We caught up with the singer, who recently performed in Kolkata and Lucknow, as a part of her India tour. Excerpts:
Tell us about your new album.
I started working on this album when I’d come for my first tour in West Bengal, in October 2017. I had a clear idea of what this album should include after returning from the trip, hence the name. In this album, I address themes close to my heart, such as family and universal motherhood, respect for people, and the dictatorship in Gabon, through numbers like Ba Ngu (The Mothers), L’ghôbe (Respect), Dictature inavoué (Unacknowledged dictatorship), and others.
Tell us about the traditional music of the Nzebi people. What inspires your music?
Original Nzebi music has a wide vocal range, which includes onomatopoeia, jerky flow, and ululations. The syllables also change, depending on the tone we use. I compose my songs on the basis of Nzebi rhythms, and my music draws its content from the ethnic repertoire of Nzebi, a Bantu people from Central Africa, from where I also borrowed my artistic name.
