Josephine Ejiroghene Oniyama (born 1983 in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

) is an English singer-songwriter. She has released three albums and a number of singles.

Early life

Living in the Manchester suburb of Hulme, Oniyama grew up in a colourful West African culture combined with the large musical heritage of Manchester, which shaped her style. She was playing gigs by the age of 15. During her college years she was further influenced by

Sister Rosetta Tharpe Sister Rosetta Tharpe (born Rosetta Nubin, March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American singer and guitarist. She gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her Gospel music, gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spir ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

, and

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

. She has Jamaican and

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

n roots that are reflected in her songs, which cover genres from gospel and country to soul music.

Career

In 2002 Oniyama released her debut album ''A SMALLER VERSION OF THE REAL THING'' via Storm music Ltd.Steve Long/Dewsbury. a champion of Oniyama's music sent out copies to Radio stations throughout the UK on the premise she was the 21st century Odetta, 10 years later in 2012 Oniyama released her 2nd album ''Portrait'' which was produced by Leo Abrahams. The album also features co-writes with Jimmy Hogarth and Ed Harcourt. The album was preceded by singles "What a Day" and "Original Love" (A-listed on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

). The album received positive reviews from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', ''

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'', '' The Mirror'', '' Q'' and ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...

''. The single "Portrait" was played on Radio 2 and was released at about the same time as the album. Oniyama appeared on 'Later with Jools Holland' and the ''

Andrew Marr Show ''The Andrew Marr Show'' is a Sunday morning talk show presented by Andrew Marr. It was broadcast on BBC One from 2005 to 2021. The programme replaced the long-running ''Breakfast with Frost'' as the network's flagship Sunday talk show when Davi ...

'' and more recently performed live from

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on BBC2. In 2012 Oniyama backed up Paolo Nutini, Michael Kiwanuka, Rodrigo y Gabriella and

The Noisettes Noisettes are an English indie rock band from London, currently composed of singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa and guitarist Dan Smith. The band first achieved commercial success and nationwide recognition with the second single of their seco ...

in live concerts. She toured with

Paloma Faith Paloma Faith Blomfield (born 21 July 1981) is an English singer and actress. Her debut studio album, ''Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?,'' was released in 2009 and was certified double platinum in the UK. The album spawned the sing ...

across her UK tour in early 2013 as well as undertaking her own headline tour in April 2013. Her festival appearances in 2013 include Glastonbury, T in the Park,

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and Electric Picnic. The album ''Portrait'' was released in

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and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

on 5 July 2013. In 2015 she contributed by singing on four songs on the jazz album ''Into Forever'' by Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra. In 2016, Oniyama appeared on Scottish band Travis' eighth album, ''Everything at Once''. She is featured on the track "Idlewild". In November 2022, she released her third album, ''Kindred.''

Releases

* "Bus of Life" (Single) Ugly Man Records 2001 * "Come Around" (Single) Ugly Man Records 2001 * ''A Smaller Version of the Real Thing'' (Album) Storm Records 2002 * "In The Labyrinth" (Single EP) Island Records 2008 * "Last Minute" (

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

), Ark Recordings / Rubyworks, 2013 * ''Portrait'' (album), Ark Recordings / Rubyworks, 2012 * "Portrait" (single), Ark Recordings / Rubyworks, 2012 * "Original Love" (Single), Ark Recordings / Rubyworks, 2012 * "What a Day" (single), Ark Recordings / Rubyworks, 2012 * "'Til You" (single), Ark Recordings / Rubyworks, 2017 * ''Kindred'' (album), Sound of Solar Records, 2022

References

External links

Josephine Oniyama
on ''

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by A ...

'', 26 September 2002.
"World On Your Street"

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oniyama, Josephine 1983 births Living people People from Hulme 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers Musicians from Manchester