New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Canadian-based Afro-R&B, soul singer, songwriter, and producer from Nigeria, Nonso Amadi, shares the lavish music video for his new track, "Foreigner," which was released last week marking Nonso's triumphant return after a two-year hiatus. Nonso Amadi is proudly presented with management team; Jade Busola and Quiet As Kept (Trung Hoang, Gavin Sheppard) alongside label partners Def Jam Recordings stateside and Universal Music, offering the opportunity to strategically focus on a range of key global markets, including his native region in Nigeria.
Directed by Jordan Lee and shot in Toronto, the music video for "Foreigner" offers a glimpse into Nonso's new world that is bold and sophisticated, putting Nonso in the spotlight. On the video, Nonso explains, "I wanted the video to represent my reentry to the scene, we decided to start with some silhouette shots in the video before a reveal. We also needed some amazing African dancers to match the energy and life of the song." The deep colour juxtapositions blend seamlessly in the captivating video that reflects the layers of the track itself while celebrating Nonso's heritage. Director, Jorden Lee describes the ideation behind the visual, "the core of the video lies within Nonso's deep connection to his African culture and we wanted to represent it in a way that was true to him. Through our choreography, wardrobe, colour and tones, we tried to capture the essence of his roots while putting our own modern spin on it." The track itself showcases Nonso's duality, a smooth and seductive record which contains African drumlines, trance-like saxophone instrumentation, and is layered with other soulful jazz elements.
Nonso recently traveled to Kingston, Jamacia 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 livestreamed 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. Watch the performance HERE (Nonso Amadi at 5:07:35).
Nonso celebrates the release of "Foreigner" this week from his hometown of Lagos, Nigeria surrounded by the family and fans that nurtured his early aspirations while fuelling his global forays. Nonso has since cemented himself in the next generation of artists bringing Alte, Afro-R&B to the international stage.
Beginning his musical career while studying in Nigeria at Covenant University and then Swansea University in the UK. Nonso 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, Nonso 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. Nonso's music is powered by borderless infusions and intention. "I really loved Mary J Blige, Brandy, Wyclef Jean, Paul Play. I love R&B because it's slow enough to allow you to feel," he says of his early experiences with the artform.
Nonso's refreshingly honest yet tranquil approach to music has allowed the likes of Juls, Santi, and Odunsi The Engine - the latter of whom he collaborated with on the War EP' - to entrench his arrival across Nigeria and the continent at large across the late '10's. With over 100,000+ million streams across platforms, Nonso Amadi refuses to be the typical straight A-student stereotype. Instead, he stands tall as a constantly evolving, textured lyricist able to translate Alte, Afro-fusion and hip-hop into his R&B-canvassed approach to storytelling, best represented on his last EP Free (2019), which features Afrobeat's heavyweights Simi and Mr Eazi.
In 2019, Nonso made the conscious decision to step away from social media and paused the release of music - all to take a deeper dive into his artistry and separate from noise and distraction. Unaware of the global pandemic looming, Nonso's time to cleanse and create was stretched into a longer hiatus. Currently recording his debut album, with the support of Universal
Music and an international team - the now 26-year-old, Nonso Amadi is determined to shed even more of his creative-skin. "I want listeners to hear this next project and know who I am and what I've gone through. I want to make great songs that tell my story".
