FYA's Emma, the pursuit of a dream

FYA's Emma, the pursuit of a dream

EMMA: Riding high

FYA: The group

By Shepherd Sibanda
Showbiz Editor

SO OFTEN when a Zimbabwean national excels in another country, be it in business, music or film, they slowly seek to deny their true place of birth, even changing their second names to suite their new surroundings.

So when 18-year-old Emma Nhamburo of UK dancehall sensations FYA (pronounced fire) proudly proclaims her Zimbabwean background, one can’t help but admire her.

While other girls her age were dreaming about boys and rushing home to watch TV, Emma had a dream far bigger than her – to conquer the dancehall scene in the UK and beyond.

Together with two other girls - Jamaican born, Tenza Foster, 20, and Kizzi Bennett, 17, both from Slough, Emma kept herself busy at the local youth centre pursuing her dream.

What the trio were working on was a unique fusion of Ragga, R&B, Hip Hop, and Pop, that would eventually land them an incredible six-album record deal with Def Jam.

Emma’s Zimbabwean accent is still as evident as her talent. The success has been something of a lifestyle shock to her – the crowds, the media and the general buzz.

“We did the Nike Freestyler in Birmingham the other day and our manager told us it was gonna be this small thing like, nothing major,” she says. “Got there now and there’s 2 000 people waiting for us to perform! We were so nervous but once we got on stage it was wicked…we’re really trying to sort out a dance routine but right now it’s all about going mad on stage!”

Slough which is on the outskirts of London might be the last place you would expect to find the next urban music sensation, but these three talented girls look set to ignite the charts, with their infectious brand of radio-friendly dancehall.
Emma, who grew up idolising RnB divas, Mary J. Blige and Lauryn Hill, started off as a solo artist before she met Tenza and Kezzi to form a telepathic understanding that looks set to be the pedestal for their future success.

Kizzi explained how their deal came about: “I've always known people that work in studios and work with the youth. So when Tenza and I started working together, Errol, the manager of the youth centre, got us into the routine of going to competitions and performing in front of audiences. We had our own routines, had outfits and everything. People couldn't believe there were these two girls chatting ragga! At that time, Ragga wasn't as big as it is now. Along the way, we met Emma, who used to be a fan of ours. She used to perform solo. It was more R&B.

At that point, our Emma quickly interjects: "You [Tenza and Kezzi] were my fans too!" They all laugh, and Kizzi, continues, "That happened a good few years ago and we've progressed together since then, just trying to create a different sound."

Having created quite a buzz on the street, it was not long before labels were banging on their door with offers of record deals. Tenza continues, "That was last year just before we signed. They [record labels] heard a little demo of one of our upcoming singles, and you know how news flies around. One label hears it and another one hears it. Virgin, Sony, the whole lot of them came down. We chose 'Def Jam' in the end because they wanted us as FYA. As the Ragga / R&B / Hip-Hop thing. The others wanted to style us as Pop Ragga. We don't think we are. We're a unique sound, a different sound!"

Having signed to a six album deal, the girls recently released their debut featuring an impressive line up, such as Grammy award winner Bounty Killer, Wayne Wonder, JA 13 and UK dancehall phenomenon, Sun Cycle Crew.

Producers include Skatta of 'The Coolie Dance' and 'Bad Company Rhythm's, Jazzwad. When asked whether they have something special or were just lucky, Tenza replies "The luck is that our manager in Jamaica has got most of the big names. But they listened to our stuff and they could have said, "No! I don't wanna collaborate with these people. But they listened to it and it sounds good. Five days ago I was in Jamaica and I met Bounty Killer. He actually told me: 'You got a nice flow. FYA's sound is wicked. What you guys are doing is wicked, keep it up."

That 'wicked' sound, according to Tenza, "...Is different. It's just a vibe. When you hear it you just wanna party, or dance, or sit and listen. There are so many different things going on in there." Their single 'Must Be Love' is a chart-friendly ragga track. As Emma explained, it has a real cross-over appeal, "Whether you listen to party vibes, or whether you're into just chillin', we've tried to catch everyone's attention at the same time. We write about different things, so each song [on the album] has a different impact on you."

Despite Slough, being more renowned for the setting of hit television show, 'The Office', then of budding new stars, Tenza explained that there's more to Slough than meets the eye. "When it comes to the youth and music, Slough has got it. Everything is free. You go in the youth centre you get keyboard lessons, drum lessons, dance classes, singing lessons. And it's not crap! In Slough you don't find youths hanging out on the street like in London, 'coz they've got something to do. Slough's good when it comes to music but people don't see that. They just think it's a dump."

The girls different backgrounds means each has brought their own influences to the album;, Tenza explained, "Coz I grew up in Jamaica, Bounty Killer, Beres Hammond, Sean Paul, Yellow Man, Freddie McGregor, all those people influenced me. She continued, "I didn't really listen to R&B and pop until I reached England. "And I'm more into..." Tenza interrupts..."Old...!" Kizzi continued, "Old school! Apart from the obvious, like Bob Marley, things like Madonna, I'm afraid, Marvin Gaye and Beres Hammond." For Emma, it's RnB Divas, Mary J. Blige and Lauryn Hill. They've held their place through the years and always come up with something different. They really haven't brought out anything yet which is a disappointment." Although she added "In Jamaica, Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and a bit of Sean Paul."

So what was it like touring with Sean Paul? "We didn't really tour with him, we just supported him at Brixton Academy", explains Kizzi. Emma continues, "The audience was ragga. So they took it more to heart. Whereas with Jagged Edge, the crowd were a bit hard. They were waiting for Jagged Edge and it was R&B. But we managed to pull it off quite well actually.

OK. Comparisons to Mis-teeq are guaranteed. Three black girls and the media’s at it in no time. Are FYA ready to do some blazing?

“There’s space for all of us in this industry, but honestly, Mis-teeq are very different to us. We write our own material first off and are working on something that’s totally us. We’re here to make the best music we can do, straight from us. And hopefully, everyone else will like it,” Kizzi says.

At only seventeen, eighteen and twenty these three teenage girls are making their mark on the UK music scene and look set to sway many more crowds, as time goes on.
LISTEN TO THEIR SINGLE: 'Must be Love' at: http://www.fyaonline.com/site.php
Additional reporting TheSituation
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