Manuela Modupe Udemba, known professionally as Shanga, is a Swiss–Nigerian singer-songwriter,

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduc ...

, and record producer. Born in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

, Switzerland, she decided to pursue a music career after becoming a certified audio engineer.

Early life

Shanga was raised between

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, where she completed her elementary and high school. After her tertiary education, she enrolled in an audio engineering school in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Career

Shanga released her debut Extended Play (EP), ''Embracing Vulnerability'', in 2013. In 2014, newspaper ''

Der Bund ''Der Bund'' (English: ''The Union'') is a Switzerland, Swiss German-language daily newspaper published in Bern. Established in 1850 and associated with the cause of Classical liberalism, liberalism, it was among the leading quality newspaper ...

'' praised her artistic work and musical style. Between 2018 and 2019, Shanga released the singles "Chuchichäschtli", "Sweeter than Wine" and "Show Me". In April 2020, she released "Certified", the lead single from her debut album ''Bold''. A fusion of

afro The afro is a hair style created by combing out natural growth of afro-textured hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" '' Ebo ...

and

grime Grime may refer to: * Dirt, in the form of black, ingrained dust Music * Grime music, a genre of music * ''Grime'' (album), a 2001 album by Iniquity * "Grime", a 2023 song by Macklemore from ''Ben'' * "Grime", a 2024 song by Kittie from ''Fire ...

, the song was produced by Bisi Udemba and mastered by Ben Mühlethaler, the latter of whom is known for his work with

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

. Shanga released the album's second single, "Kelele", in July 2020. The song peaked at number one on the

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

Swiss Charts and at number four on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Swiss Digital Sales Chart. Shanga's debut studio album, ''Bold'', was released in October 2020.

Discography

Studio albums *''Bold'' (2020) EPs *''Embracing Vulnerability'' (2013) Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shanga, Musician 1993 births Living people Swiss women musicians 21st-century women rappers Singers from Lagos 21st-century Nigerian women singers 21st-century women guitarists 21st-century Nigerian businesswomen 21st-century Nigerian businesspeople Nigerian women singer-songwriters 21st-century women composers Nigerian expatriates in Switzerland Nigerian record producers 21st-century Swiss women singers