We’re already on the record as Nneka fans (she caught our collective eye as one of the top ten acts from this year’s SXSW festival), and now the Nigerian-born singer is taking her continent-crossing, genre-bending act to the road with an opening slot on Nas and Damian Marley’s Distant Relatives tour. In this exclusive video feature, we see snippets of Nneka’s past road diaries both funny and sweet, from goofing off with her bandmates to suffering the slings and arrows of a boyfriend-less Valentine’s Day. After the jump, view Nneka’s exclusive tour diaries and check out the upcoming tour dates to see when she brings her multi-culti musical melange to your town.
Tour Diary #7 – Here, we see Nneka joking backstage with her crew and endearingly stumble through mistakes during a quick green screen performance. Most tantalizing is the short musical improvisation during the band’s soundcheck that makes you wish the camera had lingered for a bit longer.
Tour Diary #8 – An exhausted Nneka (these videos come from the end of her last go round the U.S) complains about the bags under her eyes and her lack of a Valentine.
Heartbeats – Live at S.O.B’s – An exclusive live clip of Nneka performing “Heartbeats,” a stuttering piano-driven slow burn tinged with reggae accents. She disappears into the song as few performers do while she opines on love and cultural acceptance. If you haven’t seen her live, this video will make you want to.
Bonus: Listen to streaming tracks by Nneka, including “Heartbeats,” on her MySpace page.