NKESE P
“F
irstborn daughter”, the meaning to a very Afro conscious name, according to users in Canada. “Let me go and see”, a slightly different meaning in Uganda, which often amuses her parents, however, knows it describes their daughter, as she is a very independent and strong-willed individual who often gathers the facts before making a decision. Nkese is also an island in Central Uganda, elevated 1,233 meters above sea level, mirroring Nkese P the artiste, who is her own rock, with incredible talent that elevates her above others. In Nigeria, the origin of the name, Nkese means “ I look to God”.This was certainly ingrained in Nkese’s upbringing as she journeyed through life, finding her way to the front of a stage, where she belongs. Born to Gerard and Lucy Perez, Nkese Perez grew up in San Juan, Trinidad, bursting with musical abilities. Thanks to the frequent combination of Daddy’s Bob Marley records and Mommy’s Whitney Houston’s greatest hits, Nkese is now a multi-genre specialist. No stranger to the stage, at an early age, Nkese partook in a variety of talent shows. Nkese grew up in a home full of positive values and huge aspirations, with her parents ensuring that she received the very best academically. Nkese attended the prestigious St Joseph’s Convent, Port of Spain, where, as expected, was part of the choir which toured Europe. They left their mark in the International Choir Festival, placing second both in Austria and then a few years later in Germany. Nkese was
awestruck by the size of the stage and reception of the audience, knowing one day she wound dominate the same and bigger stages. Ensuring this would happen, Nkese pursued music for her CXC exams, where she was introduced to the steel pan. Although music was her underlying passion, Nkese had a deep affiliation with medicine. In 2009, she travelled to one of England’s biggest cities, Manchester, to pursue a higher education in Bio-Medicine. While in the UK, Nkese couldn’t resist the offer to share her talent and accepted a back vocalist position with “The Diane Shaw Band”, a Northern Soul group. This opportunity allowed Nkese to perform across the UK, sharing the stage with Motown celebrities, Chris Clark, Brenda Hollaway and Tommy Hunt. Her first real touring experience started here. Nkese even muscled her way through the rounds of XFactor UK but due to academic restrictions, she had to withdraw after the third round. As Nkese neared the end of her time at the University of Manchester, she wanted to take
her medical ambitions one step further and pursue holistic medicine.. With the support from her family, Nkese moved to China to attend the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. In 2014, just before the start of a new chapter in her academic career in China, Nkese released her first Soca single called “ Carnival Baby”, a tune dedicated to the festival of love, togetherness, colour and creativity. The festival that is Carnival. While in China, she was determined to push her love of music to one side to fully focus on her academics. This however proved to be a difficult task, as a couple of years later, Nkese started taking voice classes just for fun and was then strongly encouraged by her tutor to audition for a band which needed a lead singer. While giving it some thought, Nkese was approached by a Caribbean band. Excitement grew, as this was deemed a perfect fit, allowing her to express her vocals on Caribbean tracks. This experienced was short-lived, as the band lacked commitment and vision. This, however, opened the doors for her to become the lead singer of a Funk, Rock
and Soul band - The Hunters. Success followed, as they were nominated “ Best Band” in Beijing and also won the “ Editors Choice” awards, after touring China playing at the five star Conrad and Mariott hotels. Venues also included various embassies and major cooperations such as BMW and Volkswagen. What started as a hobby soon became financial support, funding the remainder of Nkese’s tuition. Although Nkese was doing a lot of performances and voice acting through an educational company for kids called Baby English, she consistently maintained A grades on her courses. After successfully graduating as a General Practioner in June 2019, Nkese was still facing her biggest test. With a love for medicine and the qualifications in hand, her number one passion was music. Nkese prayed about it and after much meditation, stumbled upon a quote from motivation guru Tony Robbins which said, your passion is related to your purpose. The path was now clear as her passion for music fuelled her hunger for the big stage. Nkese was reluctant to be consumed by the demons of “what ifs” and quickly returned to the UK to kick start her musical career, with her debut EP – Multi-Dimensional. Carrying six tracks, Multi-Dimensional is an authentic showcase of Nkese’s Caribbean style, versatility and personality. To date, three of the six tracks have been released, with the latest being the highly-rated “Rock”. Tracks include - Heads Up High, No Sleeping and Rock. Nkese is a multi-genre specialist, with a unique voice that has travelled the world, singing back up to a host of celebrities. She is undoubtedly the next best young talent from Trinidad and Tobago, determined to infiltrate the global music industry, fusing elements of Soca, Dancehall and Island Pop.