For Tobe Nwigwe's new album, The Bridge, he wanted to explore and express himself to the fullest extent. He says that this album draws together his experience growing up in Texas as well as his cultural roots in Nigeria.
"The thing was to be expansive and really tap into the full duality of who I am, not only as a human being, but what I've been trying to get to as an artist in creating sonics that truly represent all that I've been able to be and experience. I feel like these are the perfect type of sonics and they expand from not only the southwest side of Houston, Texas, but all the way back to Nigeria."
Nwigwe used Highlife, a West African music genre, as one of the foundations for the album. He says that this style of music is sometimes overlooked by musicians.
"That sound is one that I truly grew up on. It's like the bedrock of Afro beats, but not too many people go back to the traditional highlife, and I wanted to expand on that and add the different sounds that I grew up hearing in Houston to that as well. Just merge them in a way that I feel like has not been done ever in the history of music."
Stream or pre-purchase Tobe Nwigwe's new album, The Bridge, coming out October 9.
