STG News
Dutch-Ghanaian singer-songwriter Nana Adjoa has shared No Room and announces her highly anticipated debut album, Big Dreaming Ants, set for release on 24th September 2020.
Following up on the recently released single ‘LISTEN TO THROW STONES, which received praised from the likes of i-D, Noctis The Voice, C-Heads and Mahogany, to name a few, the intimate song deals with the concept of small-talk. Adjoa purposefully added metaphoric layers of sounds to the airy melody, from distorted voices to effect-heavy synths, all punctuated by steady handclaps, representing the noise that somebody makes when they’re talking to you, but not really saying anything, she candidly says. Sharing more about the writing process behind the track Adjoa explains, “I wrote ‘No Room’ about the feeling of having a conversation with someone which gets stuck in habitual small talk. Trying to control the moment, but leaving no room to discover the moment, each other or something new and unexpected”.
Nana’s feeling is perfectly depicted by the compelling visuals accompanying the track – the second video in a trilogy created by creative director Rudy Asibey, which includes previous single ‘She’s Stronger’ and the upcoming single ‘National Song’. It’s vague, but it is a feeling” enthuses Adjoa.
The director, Robbert Doelwijt Jr, takes us out of ‘the ordinary’ space, into this dreamlike landscape, where you (the viewer) and the main character find the room to drift off. Talking about the video the director explains, “I wanted to translate the song’s message into the video, which was filmed to look like one continuous sequence with the use of wipe transitions and match cuts. I wanted the video to show Nana on her way to find room to be creative, despite the things holding her back”.
A skilled multi-instrumentalist and trained jazz player, Adjoa joined her first band as a teenager, choosing to play bass because, every other instrument had been claimed. It was a lucky twist of fate, unbeknown to the musician, her mother had once been the bassist in a Ghanaian Highlife band and happened to have her instrument.
Accepted to study jazz (electric bass and double bass) at the prestigious Amsterdam Conservatory, Nana traded the restrictions of a structured curriculum for the free-flow of her own compositions.
Since her debut in 2017 – the vulnerable EP Down at the Root (Pt. 1) – she has been praised for her sonic explorations and effortless lyrical poetry. Her second EP, Down at the Root (Pt. 2) and the Stereogum-approved A Tale So Familiar, increased support from international press including Consequence of Sound and The Fader, influential radio stations such as USA tastemaker KCRW and streaming platforms. Making her USA live debut in 2018, Adjoa played a series of headline shows as part of a worldwide Communion residency, as well as performing on some of the European largest festival stages.
Born in Amsterdam to a Dutch mother and a Ghanaian father, Nanas poignant lyricism tackles complicated questions of race, gender, religion, and sexuality, Nana often meditates on the meaning and make-up of one’s identity. It’s not surprising that REFINERY29 claimed Adjoa’s music will envelop you like a warm hug while Adjoa’s lyrics make you feel like you are loved and in the safest of places.
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