The last time Ntjam Rosie lit up the Jazz re:freshed stage was back in 2011… We are delighted to announce her return this Thursday.
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Not only is Ntjam flying in from The Netherlands especially to perform, we are privileged to announce that she will be launching her new album “At The Back of Beyond”. For those of you who are not aware of the talented Miss Rosie (firstly, where have you been???), here’s a little background…
Ntjam Rosie has style, great looks and is a gifted musician, singer, songwriter and producer. The 29 year old emphasizes: “I am an artist. I dig into my cultures and make art from them.” It is the ‘right here, right now’ quality of her compositions that makes her music so exciting. She does not indulge in retro elements but simply roots in them. Her songs are an enticing mix of lyrics, style, and music.
Ntjam Rosie lives in Rotterdam now. She was born in the village Sonkoe in the South of Cameroon. When she was nine years old, her mother married and moved from Cameroon to the Dutch town of Maastricht. Ntjam grew up dancing and singing to pop music in her spare time. After high school she auditioned at Codarts academy of music in Rotterdam, but was rejected at first. She felt insufficient and decided to study something else instead.
But some dreams cannot be denied.
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Aged 19 she took a life changing decision: against all advice she quit studying. She found a job, joined a band and took up singing lessons. She was scared all the way: “to choose for your passion is one thing, – but what if passion doesn’t choose you? I knew I had it in me, it is my calling. But I was the only one who seemed to know.”
The years at the Codarts academy were to become some of the hardest in her life. “I had an attitude and thought I knew it all, when in fact nothing I did was good enough. One crucial day they gave me an ultimatum.” She had two weeks for improvement or she would have to leave Codarts. The idea of being thrown out of school still makes her shudder.
In those two weeks she fell to ashes but then rose with a new stunningly different attitude. Beneath all the pressure and despair she had found a calm spot. ‘The heart of the storm,’ she calls it. In those two weeks she found a solid base on which her talent could grow and develop. She had let go of pretence and that enabled her to show her true beauty. Today she is grateful to Codarts and her strict teachers. “They prepared me for what was to come,” she says. “The music industry is tough and critics are harsh. I deal with them like I did with my teachers. They are only doing their job, sometimes they’re right, sometimes they’re not.”
Ntjam Rosie’s new album is called ‘At the back of beyond’. She has taught herself to play the guitar and developed a bright new uplifting, style. With ‘At the back of beyond’ Ntjam Rosie has created an amazing and unforgettable new album that is released on her own label: Gentle Daze Records.
Ntjam Rosie will be playing alongside Ed Riches (UK) on guitar, Alex Bonfanti (UK) on bass, Nathan Allen (UK) on drums and Anan den Boer (NL) on keys.
Ntjam will be also supported by Washington DC based DJ 2-Tone Jones – More info to follow…
Jazz re:freshed
Mau Mau Bar
265 Portobello Road
London W11
8pm – 11.30pm
£5 Before 9pm
