Daphne, cameroonian artist
Daphne (Efundem Njie) was born on 20th September 1989 in Buea and grew up in the beautiful coastal city Douala, Cameroon. She is presently a student in the University of Buea, Cameroon, studying Psychology and Law.
She's loved singing ever since she was a kid and grew up singing in her church choir. Her passion for music grew further when she went to secondary school and she will often use music to escape from difficult times.
While at the university she started visiting studios and doing backups for other artists. Music being her first love, she seized the opportunity to start recording. She did her first records in 2013 and has continued to build a solid pool of exceptional records.
Her greatest inspiration so far has been God and her mother. Daphne is also inspired by her experiences and her culture, leading to a style of music that blends Pop, Afro-pop music, Afrobeat, reggae, Makossa, Hip Hop and urban music in general. “I listen to all types of music, gospel and secular… gospel artistes like Cece Winnan, Mary Mary and Frank Edwards, and secular artistes like Bebe Manga, Tiwa Savage and Rihanna”; says Daphne.
She describes herself as simple and playful while holding dear the moral values of her up bringing. Family is everything to her. When Daphne is not singing, she is dancing, acting and of course shopping. "I believe in God, I believe in working hard for what I really want, I believe in the people around me and I believe in myself".
RELEASES
Studio Albums
1) Here To Stay (Debut Album). Release 30.12.2015. “Here To Stay” is a beautiful collection of 19 tracks. A blend of songs that has their roots in Afrobeat, Makossa, Bikutsi, Pop, Salsa, Hip Hop and R&B all woven together seamlessly by Daphne’s sultry voice. Daphne invites you into a stunning escapade of life, its ups and downs and the power of hope.
As you journey through the album, fans will get to experience stories told in rhythms and sounds that are familiar yet infectious in their arrangements. Daphne’s simplistic approach in song writing makes for easy listening when she addresses topics like mistrust on “Famla”, hope on “Sunshine”, dreams on “Shubidu” amongst many other everyday occurrences.
About the album, Daphne had this to say: “I wanted to bring our everyday experiences into music.
This album is about life. It is my hope that as you listen to this album, you get frozen in time to experience life all over again…taking the lessons from every bad decision made and improving on all the good ones…celebrating all the victories again and learning to stand and run again for all the times you fell…I hope this album makes you dance"
2) Reflection (EP): Release 17.11.2014. Daphne followed up her debut single with three new songs. The songs show Daphne’s versatility as her vocals ride effortlessly on a Pop/Dancehall beat on “Reflection”, a soulful Afro-pop beat on “Broken” and a Makossa-Zouk infused beat on “Ndolo”. “Reflection is about love redeemed…it’s about forgiveness and allowing love to come back to you,” said Daphne.
The song tells the story of a lover who is around when things are good and goes away when “things dem bad…” But the best part of the song is when Daphne asks her runaway lover to “come right away, bring all your pain along let’s burn it down …” The theme of love continues on “Broken”, a song about a girl who’s been hurt and left broken-hearted. “This song is a chapter in everyone’s love book,” says Daphne. “Especially for girls… (she laughs)…you want to love again but you are so scared…’cause you are broken”.
Her third single seems to be a solution for the first two. After being jilted on “Reflection” and left “Broken”, Daphne turns to the “food of the soul…the reason why we laugh, the reason why we cry, the reason why we smile, the reason why we live” - Ndolo (Love).
She personifies love as God. “God is so beautiful, and will always be the pillar of my being,” says Daphne. “I turn to God for everything” she continues.
My message with the three songs is simple. “When you feel let down and broken into pieces, you need to reflect…reflection will lead you to the truth, will lead you to love…to God.
Single Releases
1) Mother’s Love: Her latest single is a smash. Released on November 25th 2015, the single continues to make waves in Cameroon and across Africa. An ode to mothers, Daphne packs emotions into the lyric of the song to tell a mother’s love for her child and vice versa.
2) Gunshot: addresses violence across Africa (Especially in the North of Cameroon with Boko Haram) while also addressing subtle fights within the Music Industry. The Video was released on May 2015 and has been warmly received across Africa and is trending on many networks across Africa.
3) Rastafari: Daphne released her debut single in July 2013 and has had rave reviews for the song. Of the title, Daphne had this to say “On the journey of this life, we all have a destiny we must get to. Rastafari is life’ story; at the end, we are one people, with differing views and goals- but one destiny…eventually we all meet our maker.
The title of this track represents a strong desire to love one another, to be your brothers’ keeper and the hope that if you put in the work, no one can stop you from getting to your goal”.
Awards & Nominations:
In 2015, Daphne received multiple nominations for country and continental awards notable among which were; AFRIMA & KORA awards.
Click down,watch out and enjoy her 'Mother's love' song!!!
