Nda Chi

Nda Chi — Menshi — is an award-winning Afro-spiritual singer-songwriter from Baleng, in the Grassfields of western Cameroon. His name, Nda Chi, means “only God” in Neghapelong. Menshi means “child of the Divine, rooted in the earth.” He created LessaGroove, a contemporary musical language born of Baleng’s heritage Lessa rhythm and tuned to A = 432 Hz. In LessaGroove, music is more than entertainment. Drawing on Lessa’s role at Baleng funerals, it carries grief toward celebration and honors ancestors as living presences. It unites human energy with that of the universe in a cumulative trance. In Neghapelong, French, English and Mvuh, the ritual language of the spirits, he sings of memory, love, the feminine, dignity and reconnection. On “Marie” he sings with the late Anne-Marie Nzié through a 1975 recording. Gold medalist in song at the 9th Jeux de la Francophonie (Kinshasa, 2023) with “Alkebulan,” he also won Mützig Star, Cameroon’s national song contest, in 2019 with “Tam-Tam.” At the 2021 International Songwriting Competition, whose judges included Oumou Sangaré, “Amassa” earned an Honorable Mention in World Music. “I Need a Victory,” nominated by Angelique Kidjo, received a Beyond Music Social Change Award in 2024. Begin with “Yayato” (“welcome”). Continue with his EP Mengwi, dedicated to women, and his debut album, Ngí Ngùng (“the voice of the people”). Next album: MENSHI. Every song is a ceremony. I am not alone. I am connected. — Nda Chi