Interview: N’Dambi Rocks the Crowd

This Dallas born songstress may look familiar and you may know her as Eyrkah Badu’s backing vocalist but N’Dambi is making her own mark on the soul scene.

With a number of critically acclaimed albums under her belt and a new release out now, Code Emphasis was there to see her rock the crowd in the heart of West London. Jerry talks to the lady in question to get the scoop on what’s to come for this colourful starlet.

I met N'Dambi moments after her performance at the regular Thursday night Jazz Refreshed gig in Mau Mau Bar on Portobello Road.

It was close to midnight, she had arrived

from LA only the previous day, and she'd

just completed a thumping, energetic set

of almost an hour. But nevertheless she was open, relaxed and unhurried as we chatted

in the corner of the bar.

JB: N'Dambi, I've been listening to your second album, Signing Up & Cosignin.

It's quite varied, mixing nu jazz and a lot

of traditional jazz sounds as well.

N'Dambi: I like to do a lot of everything. Whatever I can try, I try to do it all, if I do it well... I hope so. Sometimes it's a hit or

miss, but I won't know until I try.

So I try it all!

JB: I noticed that one of the tracks, Black Star on that album, has a soft drum and bass sound.

N'Dambi: Yeah - I was trying something different again, and I worked with Kenneth Crouch on that, we were looking for something to stretch it outside of my comfort zone, so I tried a drum and bass sound, and it kind of went to story, so it worked - well, we liked it and we hoped other people did too. I just like to experiment with all genres of music, and people go to the dance clubs, they play drum and bass in the dance clubs.

JB: I know that you're heavily influences by Nina Simone right?

N'Dambi: Yes

JB: What are some of your other influences?

N'Dambi: Oh - Ray Charles, The Dramatics, Bill Withers, The Silvers, there's so many different things, Mommas and Poppas, The Beatles; I like a lot of different kinds of music so I try to make what I like - a little bit of everything together.

JB: Obviously, you know Erykah Badu very well

N'Dambi: Yes I do, yes.

JB: Do you still collaborate on stuff?

N'Dambi: We haven't really collaborated lately, she's been on one side of the world, I've been on the other, working on other music. I moved to California for a time to work on a new album, and just recently finished that, that will be out some time this year. So we're in different places at different times, and we don't get to meet up as much as we used to.

JB: You're based in LA now? No more Dallas?

N'Dambi: I am. I think you have to get away from what you're comfortable with, to find yourself, find your voice. You know when you go back, it's easier to settle in to.

JB: I've visited Texas and... It’s different!

N'Dambi: (Laughs) Yeah it is! It's very different.

JB: So you're more comfortable in California?

N'Dambi: Yeah California is a cool place because it's a balance. I can get snow, I can get beaches, I can get mountains, and I can get all that in one place.

JB: And how about Europe - how well do you know London?

N'Dambi: I know it pretty OK - would like to come more often. I spend a lot of time in Holland when I come to Europe though, in Amsterdam.

JB: It's a favourite city of mine.

N'Dambi: Yeah me too. I spend a lot of time there, and then I come here, but not as much as I go to Amsterdam... you gotta need a guide here!

JB: You mentioned during your set that you have a new album coming out?

N'Dambi: Yes, it's called Pink Elephant.

JB: How would you say that's evolved from your previous albums - because you haven't had an album out for three or four years now?

N'Dambi: Well, it's more relatable. It's still me, but it has a more relatable vibe. You know, I try to find a sing-song way to sing a song, but it has more relatable melodies, and the lyrics are catchy, so I think you can get into it!

JB: This is your fourth album. How would you characterise each album as a stage in your life?

N'Dambi: Well, I think they've been characterised by what I've been doing at the time, this album seems to be the most stable in direction, it's like it's more focused and concentrated, so I could say that's probably where I am in my life. In the album Tunin Up and Cosignin we had a lot of different directions but I was in a lot of different directions myself.

The album after that was A Weird Kind of Wonderful, which had like a black soul vibe and so I felt that maybe, the people who'd liked Tunin up and Cosignin wouldn't be with me, I'd maybe pushed those people too far.

So in the new album I've kinda met the two groups of people in the middle, so they could go with me on my journey, because I plan to grow musically each and every album. It's a growth from the last album I did. It's not a drastic change, so people can get used to it, but it has some new things to offer.

JB: Have you ever been a political person, is it something you get involved in? Say for example - changing your name seems like a political act.

N'Dambi: Yes it is. I did that back in college, and felt that it was a better fit to my personality, and that was the first thing I did. It's a West African name, it means Most Beautiful. Yes I'm political but you won't see it on my sleeve. But I do things and you won't know about that; when I take a stand I'm very loyal to it and I represent myself.

JB: Have you been to West Africa?

N'Dambi: I've been to Uganda and Tanzania, but not to West Africa yet. But I plan to go, I can't wait, I gotta go!

JB: Does America feel different since Obama came in?

N'Dambi: I think that's both yes and no. Yes because we have a different brand of leadership, it's the first black president; he's a young president and has brand new ideas. But there's still resistance because it's not what people are used to, so people went back into the normal, if that makes sense. They do what they're used to doing - it's still taking time for people to adjust to the new change.

JB: And he's intelligent president - we're not used to that.

N'Dambi: (Laughs) That's right, we're not! No we're not. Very well spoken! And he's very articulate, knows his stuff. So he's not coming half-cocked, he really knows what he's talking about. People are used to someone in his position not having an opinion, and being shaped by the status quo, being a puppet so to speak. You're not used to a president being like that.

JB: You're on tour now - you're going to Southport [the Southport Soul Weekender] tomorrow I believe?

N'Dambi: Yes I am - and I have a show in France as well, Paris. Then I go back to the States and I'm doing shows all over. I took a small break to come over, because I wanted at least to let people know I have an album coming out here, then go back. Then I'm gonna come back over and do a really big tour, one year.

JB: I'm looking forward to it.

N'Dambi: Yeah me too!

Interviewed by: Jerry Barnett