On her new album Nnoo, Mary Akpa embodies the divinity and sentiments of the African Diaspora with wonder and vulnerability.  Born in Nigeria and raised in Southern California, Mary’s sound is seasoned with her culture and experiences, yielding a soulful blend of highlife-inspired guitars, jazz and African influences. Nnoo means “welcome” in Igbo, Mary Akpa’s native language. The album is means to express Mary’s hyphenated identity, experiences, and roots.

Beyond an album, Nnoo offers a multi-platform experience of the work digging into the record’s themes exploring Black, African, and immigrant identity, self-love, and social justice. Mary’s recently released “A Hurum Gi N’anya” and “Dissonance” videos give us a glimpse into the multimedia world in which Nnoo exists. Nnoo feels like a heartwarming testament of Mary’s full circle journey of coming home and truly seeing herself but also of her deep love and devotion to her community.