Lucky Dube’s daughter to thrill Kenyans

Next week marks seven years since the murder of Lucky Dube, arguably one of the most successful artistes Africa has ever produced. Dube was killed by a group of thugs in a Johannesburg suburb in 2007.

The legacy of Dube, who pioneered a distinct variation of reggae-enriched with traditional South African music, has been passed on to his daughter, Nkulee, who will be performing for the first time in Kenya next week at two concerts in honour of her father.

The 27-year-old singer and songwriter, who lives in Johannesburg, blends soul, jazz with the familiar reggae and dancehall. She tours with her father’s group, the One People Band, the same 10 musicians who made Dube’s stage shows some of the most electrifying performances on the international circuit.

“I only managed to tour with my father’s band after his death because during his career, he wanted to keep his family and his career apart,” she told this writer in a 2011 interview.

“They say he was a very strict boss and none of the musicians could get away with doing things that were not for the benefit of the band,” she recalled.

While Lucky Dube is remembered for his trademark melodious reggae with the socially conscious edge of timeless songs like Slave, Prisoner and House of Exile, his daughter performs a smoother contemporary brand of reggae, with strong influences of R&B, jazz and classic soul.

Back-up singer

Unlike her father who gained fame with songs of political and social resistance, Nkulee prefers to sing about the issues that surround her as a young person.

“It is not that I don’t care about politics, but there are different concerns for the youth today, like drugs, HIV and AIDS, which I can use my status to speak about,” she says.

She gained her experience as a back-up singer and dancer for the late South African jazz performer Lebio Mathosa and Afro-pop singer Ntando Bangani.

South African record label Native Rhythms Productions signed her for the release of her 11song debut album My Way in 2011.

Besides the obvious influence of her father’s music, the album’s sound was drawn from diverse influences, ranging from South African jazz to soul and dancehall with producers from various countries across the world shaping the rhythms.

Carrying the name of Africa’s most successful reggae superstar weighed heavily on the young Dube, during her sessions in a studio in Johannesburg working on her debut album.

“I want to do things my way. My sound is unique and I want people to understand and appreciate it,” she says. “I am creating new trends in the world of music.”

However, she acknowledges the pressure that comes with being her father’s daughter and managing the expectations of her music.

“It is amazing and very scary at the same time because of the pressure that comes with being Lucky Dube’s daughter,” she says.

In 2010, Nkulee joined the Lucky Dube Celebration Tour, a tribute to her late father with performances of his songs plus new and original music his former band has recorded since his death.

She received an uproarious reception from the crowds during the tour; from people who obviously felt her father’s presence, whenever she was introduced on stage.

“Wow! I got to receive some of the love that the world had for my father during that tour. It can be very emotional for me when I see this reaction.”

Besides shows in South Africa, Nkulee has appeared at major festivals in Australia, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, French Guyana, and Suriname. She has also performed in the U.S, Europe, the South Pacific and Namibia.

“There have been plenty of expectations and the fact that I do some reggae music, like my father, also increases this pressure,” says Nkulee.

Tribute

Her shows are never complete without a tribute to her dad’s memory and she usually picks some of his best-known songs like Prisoner whose lyrics are familiar to the crowds wherever in the world she performs.

She is currently completing work on her second album and recently shared a preview of the first single “Crush” with her fans on YouTube.

Nkulee’s half sister, Bongi Dube is also a recording artiste; though her jazz and house music style is markedly different from the rest of the family’s reggae staple.

Nkulee Dube will be the star performer at a VIP Lucky Dube tribute concert at the Carnivore on October 17th at 7 pm.

The artist will arrive in the country on October 14th and advance tickets for the concert go on sale at the Carnivore beginning next week at Sh1,500.

This article was first published in the Business Daily