Beautiful Nubia is the performing name for Segun Akinlolu (born 11 November 1968), a Nigerian-born songwriter, music composer and band leader. Beautiful Nubia and the Roots Renaissance Band is

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, ...

's foremost

contemporary folk Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid-20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century, a new form of popular folk music evolved from trad ...

and roots music group. Formed and fronted by songwriter and poet Segun Akinlolu (aka Beautiful Nubia), the group's songs and albums have achieved cult status among their loyal and growing fans spread across the world. Segun Akinlolu is an advocate of social reform and achieves this via his folk music.''"He has dedicated his lifetime to the enduring belief in the power of change; that our society is not irredeemable; that its inherent dysfunction is correctable." ''

Theme

Beautiful Nubia's songs are built on rich folkloric traditions and native wisdom but his message is universal in thrust and theme: value life, respect nature and learn to live in peace with others. The music speaks for the voiceless and champions the dream of a balanced society where individuals are truly free and equal. It preaches love and tolerance but also urges people to stand and defend their rights when trampled upon anywhere in the world.''"His songs transcend parochialism. As they appeal to African sensibilities, so do they contain universal truths."''

Early Days

Born in

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...

in 1968, Segun started writing songs at age nine. He drew his early influence from the traditional culture which was prevalent in the form of

oral poetry Oral poetry is a form of poetry that is composed and transmitted without the aid of writing. The complex relationships between written and spoken literature in some societies can make this definition hard to maintain. Background Oral poetry is ...

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

and

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

. In 1997, he established

EniObanke The EniObanke Music Festival (EMUfest) is a modest, multi-city festival of music which holds annually in Nigeria. It was established in 2010 by folk and roots musician, Beautiful Nubia (Dr. Segun Akinlolu) and primarily designed as a platform for t ...

, a

music production A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

and marketing company, under which his first album was released in 1997. All subsequent recordings have been released on this label and, in 2010, the company commenced the first-ever folk and roots

music festival A music festival is a festival, community event with music, performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock music, rock, blues, folk music, folk, jazz, classical music), nation ...

in Nigeria, the annual EniObanke Music Festival (EMUfest). In 1998, the artist invited several young musicians in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

to form a backing band to which he gave the name The Roots Renaissance Band. Throughout the years, Beautiful Nubia has remained the songwriter, music composer, arranger and bandleader - contributing acoustic/rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

Highlight

Reward came in 2002 with the release of the ground-breaking third albu
''Jangbalajugbu''
It is estimated, by radio journalists, that more than 50 million Nigerians wake up each day to "How Do You Do? (Owuro L'ojo)", one of the hit tracks in the album. To date, ''Jangbalajugbu'' has sold in excess of a million copies (not including the large numbers sold in the open market by

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

). Since then, the band has released 17 more studio albums, all of which confirm what can be described as the Beautiful Nubia style and his stubborn refusal to be pigeon-holed. The over 250 original songs - didactic, philosophical and deeply moving - have cemented his reputation in Nigeria and beyond as an advocate for employing traditional wisdom in achieving personal and community development and

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

. It is the combination of enjoyable entertainment and provocative thoughtfulness that has come to define Beautiful Nubia's style. The music has garnered excellent reviews in leading African/

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

publications. It has been nominated for music awards and topped international/world charts on community, grassroots and campus

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

stations.

Education

Segun Akinlolu graduated from the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the University of London. In 1962, it became an independe ...

with a

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded ...

(DVM) degree in 1992 and worked as a

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet) or veterinary surgeon is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, veterinarians also play a role in animal r ...

for about 8 years. He also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma from the Nigeria Institute of Journalism.

Honours

In October 2016, Beautiful Nubia was conferred with the award of ‘Doctorate in Science (Honoris Causa) in Art’ b
ESEP Le Berger University
Republic of Benin for his body of work. In March 2024, Beautiful Nubia was honoured as a "UI at 75 Ambassador" by the University of Ibadan.

Discography

STUDIO ALBUMS * Ṣonṣo (2024) * Olumuyiwa (2023) * Hùrùhàrà (2021) * Àpèjọ (2019) * Atunluto (2018) * Amunudun (2018) * Iwa (2016) * Taabaku (2016) * Odds and Ends (2016) * Soundbender (2015) * Keere (2014) * Oriojori-Eternal Spirits (2012) * Sun No Dey Sleep (2011) * Irinajo (2009) * Kìlọ̀kìlọ̀ (2007) * Fẹ̀rẹ̀ (2006) * Awilele (2004) * Jangbalajùgbú (2002) * Voice From Heaven (1999) * Seven Lifes (1997) ACOUSTIC ALBUMS * Embers of the Day (2025) * Helen of the Good Tidings (2023) * Lord of Letters (2022) * Brand New Tales from a Small Room (2021) * Several More Tales from a Small Room (2020) * Even More Tales from a Small Room (2019) * More Tales from a Small Room (2017) * Tales from a Small Room (2017) INSTRUMENTALS * Rhythms of the Way (Instrumentals Vol. 2, 2020) * Instrumentals, Vol. 1 (2019) LIVE RECORDINGS * Essential Work (2021) * Live Concert Series V (2018) * Live Concert Series IV (2017) * Live Concert Series III (2017) * Live Concert Series II (2016) * Live Concert Series I (2013) POETRY CDs * Like A Tale at Night (2006) * Where Rivers Sing A Song (2004) * On A Cold Evening (2001)

Publications

* In the Circle of the Happy Moon (Children's book, 2023) * Sounds of Joy (Autobiography, 2018) * Book of Songs (Lyrics, 2018) * A WordMerchant's LogBook (Poetry, 2018) * Citadel Blues (Fiction, 2004 and 2017) * The King's Messenger (Poetry, 2004) * Thinking Big (Poetry, 2000) * Waiting For The Bones (Poetry, 1997)

References

External links

Official site

Beautiful Nubia on Twitter

Beautiful Nubia on Facebook

Beautiful Nubia on Instagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beautiful Nubia Folk musicians Nigerian male poets 20th-century Nigerian male singers Living people Bandleaders Yoruba musicians Yoruba-language singers of Nigeria Musicians from Ibadan 21st-century Nigerian male singers English-language singers from Nigeria University of Ibadan alumni 1968 births 21st-century Nigerian poets