Award-winning Afro-folk singer-ksongwriter releases single today.Nigerian award-winning Afro-folk singer, songwriter and guitarist Blessing Tangban, now based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is releasing her first single since arriving in Canada this past Summer. Blessing has had a successful career in her home country of Nigeria as a recording artist, with over one million streams across all platforms. Within the span of a decade since her debut in 2014, she recorded one album and two EPs, and expanded her success beyond her home country into other African nations like South Africa and Ghana. With a social media following of over 80,000, and collaborations with acclaimed African Artists like Johnny Drille and M.I. Abaga, Blessing’s music has clearly found an audience. Blending traditional African folklore with a contemporary and intimate sense of soul has struck a chord and garnered her a respectable following.Blessing’s arrival in Canada coincided with a decision to dive into an exploration of the world of spiritual music. Although spirituality had always been present throughout her body of work, this time around, as an artist, she leaned into her Christian faith like she had never done before. Getting through some turbulent times awakened and reinforced a faith that had been lying adrift in her soul. Teach Me, the single being released today, very much embodies that theme of surrendering to a higher power. And to go along with the single release, Blessing is also sharing the corresponding music video.
Produced by Ekeyzondabeat, the song was born during a ten-hour drive in her home country of Nigeria, from the capital, Abuja, to Cross River, near the border with Cameroon, at a point of her life when she was questioning her love for humanity: “The song came to my heart in the form of a prayer. I would like to love people without reservations like Jesus does and I’d like him to teach me how.” Hearing her describe how she arrived to this chapter of her career, makes it clear that spiritual music is not a phase: it’s an artistic direction rooted in core beliefs that have cemented themselves in the essence of Blessing as a human being.A high school graduate at the age of fifteen in her native Nigeria, Blessing is currently enrolled in the Music Business program at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), fresh off getting her Doctorate in Public Policy from Walden University in the US. She enrolled in this program with the intention of acquiring the tools to navigate the music industry better, to “build a larger landscape and reach for my music, make it a life-long career, and gain a deeper understanding of how I can earn a living in the music industry.”Blessing performed solo a week ago at The Seahorse in Halifax as part of the New Music Thursday showcase promoted by Music Nova Scotia, and she is slated to perform at the East Coast Music Awards in early May. She is an interesting addition to Halifax’s musical landscape, with enough uniqueness and appeal to expand beyond the region and break through globally. After this single release, Blessing’s goal is to release her third EP.
