People say that music is the universal language. Imagine fusing French, Pidgin, German and English, what would that sound like? The melody is T’neeya. T’neeya is a Cameroonian singer and songwriter based in Ghana. Her pan-African soul and Afrobeats influences are indicative of her musical delivery in Pidgin, English and French.
The singer has been putting out her elegant and swingy music for five years and draws her uniqueness from the different languages she sings in. In the majority of her tracks, like her recent big single “Joli”, she blends French, English and Pidgin. German and Cameroonian, based in Accra with the Nigerian Aristokrat label, her music knows how to speak to a diverse public and her popularity is growing fast.
Born to a Cameroonian father and a German mother, she moved to Germany at the age of 18 to pursue a career in music. Between Berlin and London, she regularly performed at local bars and wrote for artists to fund her dream of becoming a successful musician.
She signed to Aristokrat Records in 2018 and has released three singles on the label to a positive response: ‘Low Battery’ (2018), ‘Text Me’ (2018) and ‘Joli’ (2019). T’neeya released her debut EP “In Her Feelings” in 2021. Having started out on the back of covers, the Cameroonian singer born Jennifer Tania Takoh’s discography continues to grow steadily with the addition of timeless gems.
And her latest single Pretty Mind, is a love song expressing adoration for a romantic partner. The lyrics express the singer’s desire for the person to only have them on their mind and to be by their side. They want to spend plenty of time with their partner, expressing a wish of spending so much time together that their partner would “suffer a suffocation. They express that they don’t “need baggage”, and they want their partner to be with them forever. Lastly, they describe their partner’s body as something that they found attractive and left them walking “all around with a cold heart”. The song is an ode to appreciation and love for a partner.
A connection born in the eyes and out of the curiosity of the mind, T’neeya loses her fear around her new love interest as she recounts a warmth she hasn’t felt in a minute. “The inspiration is me… I spend a lot of time by myself and find safety in being single, but at the same time love, love,” T’neeya reveals.
Pretty Mind is a discoesque celebration of new found love, that highlights the early stages of a new relationship where butterflies run wild and untamed in one’s belly,” she adds.
T’neeya is inspired by artists such as Manu Dibango, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah and 2Baba. Connected to a varied audience whose dimensions are drawn by her multiple cultures, her diverse artistic personality makes her a bridge between several universes. Her goal is to make her music a reassuring landmark for all humans around the world who pursue their dreams.
Her advice to new young artists trying to make it in the music industry….
‘Don’t give up, stay hungry and humble, never stop being curious, dare to dream, be patient with yourself, understand that it takes time, and build a good team.’
Now lets wait for the visuals for her new single Complete