National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

First came Asa. Then came Ayo. Now comes Nneka-the most recent Afropean new soul diva to attempt to parlay European chart success into Stateside recognition.

The singer will be making her American debut on November 9th, at Joe's Pub in New York City, as part of a brief tour in support of the release of her digital EP The Uncomfortable Truth, released today. Her full-length American debut, Concrete Jungle is slated to hit stores in February, 2010.

Download Free Nneka Single Here

Like Asa and Ayo, Nneka has roots in both Nigeria and Europe, splitting her time between Hamburg, Germany and Nigeria's Delta region, where she grew up in her father's Igbo homeland. Though Nneka (a.k.a. Nneka Egbuna) has been singing in school and church choirs since she was a child, it wasn't until she went to University to Germany, her mother's home country, that her career really took off.

In 2003 Nneka linked up with Hamburg-based hip-hop producer DJ Farhot, and together they released her first album, Victim of Truth in 2005. which earned her rave reviews in Europe and more than one comparision to Lauryn Hill. She released her follow up album, No Longer at Ease in 2008 (the title is a nod to fellow Igbo novelist Chinua Achebe, father of the modern African novel), scoring European chart success with the single "Heartbeat".

Having shared stages with the likes of Sean Paul, Femi Kuti, Bilal, Lenny Kravitz and Gnarls Barkley, Nneka is poised to strike out on her own in North America - though she will be sitting in with Illadeph's hip-hop heroes, The Roots, at their monthly residency at NYC's Highline Ballroom.

Note to African literature buffs: It might be the ONLY time two artists with albums named for Chinua Acheba novels ever shared the same stage. That's gotta mean something, right?

Nneka U.S. Tour Dates:

11/9: Joe's Pub, New York, NY
11/10: (w/ The Roots) Highline Ballroom. New York, NY
11/12: Café 939, Boston, MA
11/13: World Café Live, Philadelphia, PA
11/14: Vienna, VA, Jammin' Java
11/17: Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
11/19: Zanzibar, Santa Monica, CA
11/20: Café Du Nord, San Francisco, CA