By Karen Moul
The Voice’s second night of blind auditions brought another group of impressive performers and winning personalities, none more engaging than Nelson “Nelly’s Echo” Emokpae. A native of Nigeria, Nelly was the highlight of the evening, impressing the judges with his rendition of Bill Withers’ "Ain't No Sunshine" and with his personal story.
Sixteen years ago, when Nelly was just 15, his family fled political persecution in Nigeria but were forced to leave his imprisoned father behind. They settled in Baltimore, where thankfully the father eventually joined them. Although it was in Baltimore that Nelly developed his musical talent, his African roots have been a great influence.
“I’m a product of different cultures and geographies,” he explained, “so it allows me to sound like everything you’ve heard but nothing [you’ve heard]. And also coming from where I came from in Nigeria, it allows me to draw from that and gives me strength to go through the tough times you go through as a musician in this business.”
While fans compare Nelly’s Echo to Seal or Sting, he credits a number of Nigerian influences including the legendary Fela as well as newer artists such as P-Square and 2Face.