Artists You Should Know: MNEK

Just exactly who is MNEK (pronounced “em-en-ee-kay”), you ask?

A look on his Wikipedia page would say that his birth name is Uzoechi Osisioma Emenike and he’s a 20 year-old Grammy-nominated British singer, songwriter, and record producer who is currently signed to Virgin EMI Records and is of Nigerian descent. But why should you care? In this world of inundated musical artists, why do I have a post specifically dedicated to him? The answer is simple:

He’s awesome.

Oh, don’t give me that look. Okay, I promise, I’ll be more detailed with my reasoning. I mean, I could just say "he's a talented singer/songwriter/producer who effectively fuses electro with soul", but I’ll just make this post in listicle format in order to make it easier to digest.

REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO MNEK

1. He’s a musical prodigy.

MNEK during his younger days.
photo cred.: Pop Justice

While he was in high school (or “secondary school” as Brits would say), he was producing electro pop anthems such as “If Truth Be Told” and “Devil in Pumps (She Dips)” in his basement. When I was in high school, I was busy coloring my hair and asking my friends what homework I missed whenever I skipped class. Talk about making the rest of us millenials look bad, right?

2. He has probably collaborated with your favorite artist.

That smash hit by Little Mix? He produced it.

A Christmas song by Far East Movement? He featured in it.

British pop legend, Kylie Minogue? He’s produced for her.

The list goes on and on. If I were to show an example from every artist he’s collaborated with, this blog post would be at least ten pages long on Microsoft Word.

And to think he’s been doing all of this ever since he was a teen.

3. His voice makes other singers want to practice.

No, really. Listen to this stripped down, acoustic performance of his song “Don’t Call This Love”.

After I watched it, I immediately started singing some scales in order to reaffirm myself that, yes, I can still sing.

4. He’s proud of his heritage.

You can often see MNEK wearing traditional Nigerian clothing in music videos and performances.

photo cred.: Wongies Music World

MNEK performing with Gorgon City & Annie Mac at Future Festival.
photo cred.: BBC

MNEK's signature facial expression. I wish my eyebrows could do that.
photo cred.: This Is RnB

You can tell he’s not doing this just to make a fashion statement. His heritage is part of his identity and he’s proud to show it.

5. He’s passionate about his craft.

photo cred.: Billboard

Whether it’s hardly being paid on time despite being signed, writing hit singles behind his parents’ backs for fear of disapproval, or putting an indefinite pause on education to focus on his career, music is still the center of MNEK’s world and that is something to appreciate, if not admire.

And just in case the above reasons aren’t enough to make you want to check out his music, here are a couple more songs that he’s worked on:

And here are some covers for good measure:

That Jennifer Lopez cover is a personal favorite of mine. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this post and you're considering getting into MNEK's music because he is seriously talented and deserves way more recognition.

Get it, MNEK!
photo cred.: arigifaldi