Inusa Dawuda is an
Afro-German
Afro-Germans (german: Afrodeutsche) or Black Germans (german: schwarze Deutsche) are people of Sub-Saharan African descent who are citizens or residents of Germany.
Cities such as Hamburg and Frankfurt, which were formerly centres of occupatio ...
musician, singer, record producer, and percussionist.
Early life
Inusa Dawuda was born in
Accra, Ghana
Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
, and as a teenager he moved with his parents to
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, Germany. Inusa learned to play the saxophone during his youth, and he was also actively involved in sports. During the early 1990s he was a multiple boxing champion in Hamburg in the light heavyweight division.
The first successes in the field of music came to Inusa in the mid 1990s, when he traveled and played with several bands, playing cover versions of favorite hits from
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
to
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...
. His primary musical influences include
Manu Dibango,
Fela Kuti
Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the p ...
, and
Grover Washington, Jr.
Career highlights
Inusa eventually embarked on a solo career embracing
House music
House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...
as his preferred performance genre. In 2006, he recorded the club single, ''Morning Light'', with its
Chillout
Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...
version selling a million copies in the world-famous
Café del Mar collection (volume 9).
From 2006 to 2010 Inusa recorded his most popular tracks ''Rumours (Digi Digi)'', ''Rub-A-Dub Girl'', ''Down Down Down'', and ''We Want More''.
Inusa's track, "I Don't Know" (with Astero) was included on the album, VA Mega Dance Party: Hits of the Year, 2011 (Dance, Club category).
In 2012, the U.S.-based company, Hip Video Promotions, is officially promoting Inusa's summer hit, "Satisfaction" for nationwide exposure and rotation.
Career accomplishments
Inusa is a collaborative artist, having enjoyed collaborations and support for his recordings from some of the biggest House giants like
Erick Morillo
Erick Morillo (March 26, 1971 – September 1, 2020) was a Colombian-American disc jockey, music producer, and record label owner. Having produced under a number of pseudonyms, including Ministers de la Funk, The Dronez, RAW, Smooth Touch, RBM, D ...
,
Paul Oakenfold, and radio rotations worldwide.
For 2009–10, Inusa was acknowledged as "Russia's Most Successful Foreign Artist", where to-date his single ''Rumours (Digi Digi)'' has received an excess of over a million radio plays, beating a stream of fellow foreign artists in a category that included
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
and
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta ( , ; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and music producer. He has over 10 million album and 65 million single sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011, 2020 and 2021, Guetta was voted the number one D ...
.
Inusa Dawuda's work is released on recording labels from
BMG BMG may refer to:
Organizations
* Music publishing companies:
** Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008
*** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that wa ...
to
Universal Music
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...
,
Pacha Recordings, Tiger Records-Kontor Records,
Hed Kandi and Kingdom of Music. He performs primarily in Germany, Russia, Turkey, Austria, Ukraine, Poland, Albania and other Scandinavian countries. Inusa's music is also renowned in other countries like Croatia, Italy, France and the UK, where his tracks often appear in playlists and club charts.
His 2011 releases ''I Don't Know'', ''Now or Never'' and ''Walking on Sunshine'' continue to be popular tunes across the club and video scene. Dawuda's 2012 release, "Let's Do It" was a collaborative release from the UK label, Champion Records. His summer 2012 release, ''Satisfaction'', was in collaboration with Khetama and EES.
Inusa Dawuda has also recorded in the
lounge
Lounge may refer to:
Architecture
* Lounge, the living room of a dwelling
* Lounge, a public waiting area in a hotel's lobby
* Lounge, a style of commercial alcohol- bar
* Airport lounge, or train lounge (e.g., AMTRAK's Acela Lounge), a premium ...
and
chillout
Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...
genres with some of his house tracks like ''Morning Light'' and ''You Are'' covered to cross-over as ballads. Lounge instrumentals like ''Reflections,'' ''Waterfalls'', ''Nubian Memories'', and ''African Nights'', showcase Inusa's work as a vocalist, saxophonist, percussionist, and performer.
Inusa's single, "You Belong to the City (Niels Van Gogh Dub Mix)" (with Choc Choc Zoo), appears on the Best of Dance Music 2012 album.
For early 2013, Dawuda released "Hey Mr. DJ" which became a European hit, while his 2011 album "I Feel Beautiful" gained renewed recognition in the United States.
On 20 May 2013, Inusa's track, "Disco Flight", a collaboration with renowned
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
DJs Max Creative and DJ Beavis, reached the No. 2 slot on the Kings of Spins Top 20 club tracks list.
Appearances
Inusa was a guest performer at the Gala Show of the Queen of Ukraine Pageant in 2010.
In 2011, Inusa appeared in
Nigar Jamal's debut video, "Crush on You."
Personal life
Inusa Dawuda currently resides in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, Germany.
Discography – House / Dance / Reggae / Afro /
Discography – lounge / chillout
See
Inusa Dawudafor complete discography.
References
External links
Inusa Dawuda Official WebsiteKingdom of Music Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawuda, Inusa
1970 births
Living people
Ghanaian emigrants to Germany
Musicians from Hamburg
German house musicians
German saxophonists
21st-century saxophonists