Ntjam
Rosie, the Cameroon-born, Dutch-based Afro-European artist who has become a
tastemaker both with her music and her fashion sense, is set to make a big mark
in 2015 with her fourth album, The One.
The
singer and songwriter, who arrived in Holland from a small village in Cameroon
at the age of nine, is now based in Rotterdam and has been turning heads in her
adopted home country. A truly independent woman, who runs her own record label,
Gentle Daze, Ntjam’s striking creativity in the world of fashion has made her
into a style icon. Meanwhile, her blend of soul, jazz, folk, gospel and world
music is now set to reach a wider audience than ever before.
The
fourth instalment in an increasingly distinguished album catalogue, The One is
a huge creative step forward. That’s both in terms of its confident, seductive
songwriting ethic and because it marks Ntjam Rosie’s debut as a producer of her
own work. It has invigorating elements of India.Arie’s roots-fuelled R&B,
Patrice Rushen’s sultry jazz, and even the vocal independence of Beyoncé, all
in an atmospheric soundscape that is purely her own.
The new
record follows 2013’s At The Back Of Beyond, which was warmly received
creatively and commercially, and inspired Ntjam to perform throughout Holland
and across Europe. “That was an album that was a part of me, and that needed to
explore my poppy side,” she says. “I’m grounded in jazz and soul, and pop. But
as a songwriter, I really needed to go through that album to learn how to play
the guitar, to see and hear what kind of songs I would write, and also to put
the guitar on the palette — literally being able to pick the guitar up to
write.”
The
songs for The One were written around the time Ntjam got married, in January
2014, and was made with her regular band and engineer Vincent Helbers at her
side. Martin Fondse added strings, and there are guest appearances by friends
and fellow artists Pink Oculus, Eric Vloeimans and Ronald Snijders.
Her
graduation as a cosmopolitan, 21st century woman and musician included
nominations both for Holland’s Edison Awards, twice, and the Elle Personal
Style Awards; playing the North Sea Jazz Festival, and gigs from Thailand to
Turkey and Estonia to China.
Ntjam
has already started to introduce The One during her live shows, and looks
forward to touring it more in 2015. The future is bright. The future is Rosie.
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