Naomi Achu

Naomi Achu, bornFruh-Ngwing Achu, is aCamerooniansinger, rapper, and songwriter. She rose to prominence with the song  “Alhadji”. which was featured in the 8 season ofBig Brother Africa.She is also considered as “Queen of Bamenda.”
Hailing fromBamenda, the capital of Cameroon'sNorthwest Region, Naomi was born Fruh-Ngwing Achu to a family of eight; she is the last of six children. Her father was a diplomat to the Cameroonian Embassy inLondon, and her mother was an educator of primary and secondary school children.
Naomi started writing songs at age nine, She attendedSaker Baptist CollegeinLimbeand Baptist High School inBuea(both in Cameroon'sSouthwest Region), where she had her earliest chances at singing.  For a while, Naomi was the automated voice forMTNCameroon.
Naomi moved to theUnited Statesin 2004, where she professional started her singing career. By the time she released her first record, an EP calledNo Boundaries, in 2009, she had started rapping. She was featured the following year in a track called “Africans,” which is an African remix of “Hold Yuh” byJamaicanreggaesingerGyptian. Also in 2010, she released theCamerican Dreammixtapeas a third of Cameroonian trio Avin-u C, which also features male singer Eddy B. and male rapper H.Bolo.
Her performance during the 2011 African Festival of Boston won her a rave review from Globe Correspondent, Siddhartha Mitter, prompting him to write "Maryland-based Achu is a cosmopolitan polymath: A gifted rapper and poised R&B singer, she was born in Cameroon and raised there and in the United Kingdom before coming here. Unabashedly pop with an inspirational streak, her sound finds a balance between African dance-floor exhortations and a global club feel."
On July 23, 2011, Naomi released her debut solo album (and second record),Positive Energy, under her Tribal Invasion record label. Its best-known song is “Alhadji,” in which she deceives men of wealth. “Alhadji” steadily became Naomi's signature hit. It was played on one of the episodes ofBig Brother Africa’s eight season (Big Brother Africa 8, also known asBig Brother Africa: The Chase). Additionally, “Alhadji” scored Naomi a Best Blues/Pop award nomination by the World Music & Independent Film Festival, and its video held the number one spot onAfrotainment’s Top 10 program for several weeks.Positive Energyis also notable for containing “Suffer Don Finish,” which features Congolese musicianAwilo Longomba.
Positive Energyimmensely raised her profile in theAfro popworld. She performed alongsideCongolesesinger-songwriterFally Ipupaat a pre-party for the2011 BET Awards. She also opened forNigerianmusicianTimayaat the 51st Nigerian Independence concert inDallas,Texasnamed after him.On February 24, 2012, Naomi performed at theSmithsonian'sAfrican Art Museumas part of the “African Underground” event in celebration ofBlack History Month.
On July 28, 2012, Naomi won the Best Female Artist award at the inaugural Cameroon Entertainment Awards.On November 8, 2014, she won the African Female Musician of the Year award at the inaugural DMV African Entertainment Awards.
In preparation for her follow-up album in 2016, Naomi has released three singles: “Wa Fun Mi Shuga” (or “Suga”) on October 7, 2012; “It’s My Life” on December 21, 2013; and "Busy Body" on December 19, 2015.Naomi finally released her sophomore album,Long Live the Queen, on April 30, 2016."Busy Body" in particular won Naomi a 2016 N.E.G.A. Award (NExt Generation Award) for Best Female Artist,as well as an AFRIMA (All Africa Music Awards) 2016 Award for Best Female Artiste in Inspirational Music.
Naomi draws inspiration from artists from a vast array of genres. They includeAngelique Kidjo,Whitney Houston,Michael JacksonandJanet Jackson,Mary Mary,Makoma,Mary J. Blige,Kirk Franklin,Lauryn Hill, andErykah Badu.
In addition to running her own label, Naomi is founder and CEO of International Nurses for Africa. She got aBachelor of Science in NursingfromMarymount Universityin 2010.
No Boundaries(2009)