Nneka's latest album, 2015's My Fairy Tales, released through Egbuna's own imprint, Bushqueen Music, is rich not just in its vivid storytelling but also in its musical diversity, blending Highlife, hip-hop, R&B, classical music, traditional African music and pop. Egbuna's gift for fusing the spiritual with the socially-critical and a compassion for the struggles of everyday people truly sets her work apart from many of her musical peers. Part of her unique perspective does in fact come from her own experiences as an immigrant who took advantage of social and creative freedom she experienced in Germany, the availability of free sources of information like libraries and what is clearly a personal talent for absorbing languages.

“When I started speaking French, it was amazing what language does with your brain and how you think,” recalls Egbuna. “Because you start seeing images of what you are trying to say. It's very similar in its morphology of the Igbo language or the Yoruba language—the imagery of the language. When I spoke French I started to speak German differently. Then I learned phrases in English and used words that I probably wouldn't have picked up before and I put them together and it worked. It makes the sentences more beautiful, I think. It enriches the expression.”

Nneka's music is indeed an instantly accessible and diverse experience and you can check out her show tonight at an intimate setting: Lost Lake Lounge. With talented locals like Povi Tamu and Bianca Mikahn opening with their own brand of diverse experimental music, it's sure to be a memorable evening.

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If you'd like to contact me, Tom Murphy, on Twitter, my handle is @simianthinker.