Kate, a Nigerian-American singer, composer, and actress, is best known for fusing traditional Nigerian music with R&B and Pop elements on her previous albums, but Live and Let Me Live represents a major departure from that style. Kate’s latest record cultivates a fresh and polished style by deftly fusing Pop music with Afrobeat.
Live and Let Me Live is an intriguing addition to the expanding Afropop genre, drawing inspiration from singers like Yemi Alade, Flavour, and Tiwa Savage, as well as emerging names like Tems, CKay, and Nnonso Amadi. Flavour deserves special recognition for the prominence he has brought to Igbo culture via his music and fashion.
There’s a lot of happiness in this song. Its refrain, “Biri ka mbiri,” which is sung in Igbo and means “live and let me live,” is a phrase that is repeated throughout the song. It’s a recognition that there’s enough room in the world for everyone, and that with such a short amount of time here, we may as well make the most of it by basking in the joys of existence rather than wasting energy worrying about the problems that will inevitably arise.
In the words of the songwriter: “I want for this song to transport the listener to a place of happiness and freedom. The capacity of music to evoke feelings in us is one of its greatest strengths. I’m very pleased with how this song turned out, and I really do want that it will have an effect on anybody who hears it.
Kate is no stranger to creating compelling music; her first EP, Melanin and Melancholy, was hailed as “transcendent” by PopDust Magazine, and received the approval of radio star and journalist Sway Calloway, laying the door for the massive success of Live and Let Me Live. An analogy to India, one of my all-time favourite performers. Arie, was the cherry on top of a smashing first album.
Kate, who admits that she wasn’t always so sure of herself, is quick to credit music and performance for helping her gain self-assurance. She was a very reserved and sensitive youngster who hardly talked beyond a whisper. At the age of eleven, she discovered the independence that singing provided for the first time. Kate is a talented actress, singer, and dancer who attended an Ivy League university for her training in the performing arts. She has been in several plays, films, and television shows. She proudly embraces both her Anambra State, Nigerian and Bronx, New York American heritages, and fuses them together in her songs and performances.
Kate co-wrote and co-produced Live and Let Me Live with a producer in Nigeria using the videoconferencing app Zoom! Kate was keen on finishing the album’s recording, mixing, and mastering in New York, near to her home since she believes that doing so in a familiar environment helps her to be at her most creative.
Connect with Kate Odulukwe Follow @kateodulukwe
