Nanna. B is a Danish R'n'B/soul singer, songwriter and artist.
Nanna. B was born in Aarhus, Denmark. Since a six-year old Nanna got an African drum in her hands, she has been surrounded by music. She grew up in a suburb of Aarhus, Denmark, and the musical influence in her childhood home was names such as The Beatles, Carole King, Bob Dylan and Danish 80's music. She attended a school that focused on music and rhythm, especially traditional west-African music, afro-Cuban music and funk, and Nanna would sing chants and create little songs from an early age, creating the foundation of her interest and love for music.
As many others growing up in the 90s , Nanna was influenced by pop and hip hop, and when Nanna in 1997 heard American soul singer D'Angelos debut album 'Brown Sugar' for the first time, she lost her heart to r'n'b and soul. The heavy beats combined with the smooth melodies, and the honest lyrics was a revelation to the young girl, and has left clear traces on Nanna. Bs sound.
The characteristics of Nanna.B's music is her unique soulful voice with playful melodies, dreamy lyrics and steady, dusty beats, and together she creates a universe inhabited by bells, birds and exotic rhythms. On her soon-to-come album 'Vitaphone', she has collaborated with different producers and musicians from Denmark and the US such as Diverse, Stacks, Nappion, Rewolmer and Damp who has produced most of the album. As the visual artist she is, and as a true DIY woman, Nanna has contributed with drawings to the album booklet.
She's a co-founder of the Chicken Grease Soul Club and has been active on the Danish music scene since she formed her first band in 2007. In 2011 she played the initial concert as Nanna.B, and since then she's played at venues like KB18, Lille Vega, Loppen, Rust and PH Cafeen together with her seven-piece band. This summer Nanna graduates from The Funen Art Academy as a visual artist.
Before going to the studio, Nanna.B and her producer Damp, decided to create an album sounding like a soul concert taking place on the moon. Crispy sounds, distant bells, little twists and massive vocal arrangements are all elements that help create the spherical and organic soundscapes, that Nanna herself describes as "Experimental Soul".
The title of Nannas' debut album 'Vitaphone' is inspired by a Basquiat painting, and consists of the two words "Vita" and "phone" meaning "life" and "sound". Nanna. B describes in her album introduction, "Vitaphone is a testimony as to where I've been, where I am and where I'm going; South, North, inside, outside, inner space, outer space, somewhere in between and somewhere out between".
'Vitaphone' is out now on vinyl and digitally through her own label Lo-Budget Child Music in collaboration with the Copenhagen underground label Greenshades Music.
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