Nana Adjoa

Alternative singer/songwriter Nana Adjoa infuses her elegant, detailed compositions with echoes of '90s R&B alongside trip-hop textures. After issuing three EPs, she unveiled her first album, Big Dreaming Ants, during 2020.

Amsterdam-born to a Dutch mother and Ghanaian father, Adjoa first picked up the bass during her teenage years simply because that instrument remained available when she joined an early group. She discovered afterward that her mother had previously performed on bass within a Ghanaian highlife ensemble. Over time Adjoa mastered additional instruments and pursued jazz studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, yet soon grew disenchanted and chose instead to focus on independent recordings while performing with local ensembles. She competed in 2014 at the national pop contest Grote Prijs van Nederland, advancing to finalist status and gaining management representation. Her initial EP, Down at the Root (Pt. 1), appeared via self-release in 2017.

The follow-up Down at the Root (Pt. 2) and the third EP A Tale So Familiar both surfaced in 2018, coinciding with growing airplay and streaming attention for Adjoa. Throughout the same period she performed concerts across the U.S. and U.K. plus Dutch festival bills. Captured entirely in her personal studio, the full-length Big Dreaming Ants reached listeners through Bloomer Records in July 2020. Although Adjoa handled the majority of parts herself, the album also featured input from her touring musicians guitarist Tim Schakel, drummer Mats Voshol, and trombonist Daniel van Loenen.