Mona Finnih: the progentior of Afrofunk
(Credits: Far Out / Discogs)
In many cases, when it comes to music scenes arising out of Africa, the discourse is largely dominated by prominent male artists. This is particularly true regarding Afrofunk, the unforgettable music genre that rose out of Nigeria during the 1960s. However, the pioneering work of women like Mona Finnih helped put the genre on the map.
Afrofunk, or Afrobeat, combines traditional influences from across West Africa, predominantly Yoruba and Igbo music, with the funk and jazz of America and the wider Western world. The resulting style is an infectious, euphoric exploration of dance and funk. Since its inception, Afrobeat has remained an incredibly influential genre, with modern-day artists like Burna Boy still paying homage to the progenitors of the sound over six decades later. Artists like Fela Kuti are often credited with pioneering the genre, as well as bringing it to the global stage but, of course, he was not the only artist producing Afrofunk in 1960s Nigeria.
Mona Finnih, while receiving little attention outside of her homeland, was among the most prominent Afrofunk artists of the early 1960s. A ridiculously talented singer and multi-instrumentalist, Finnih quickly grew a reputation for her incredible early Afrofunk across the musical landscape of Nigeria long before Fela Kuti ever laid down a track.
Though Mona was a prominent figure in the early Afrofunk scene, her musical talents were not appreciated in a wider sense until the latter part of the decade, when she formed The Sunflowers. With a name connoting the vibrancy and colour of the Afrofunk style, Finnih cemented herself as a force to be reckoned with through her work with the band. Mona was not only a musical prodigy but a hands-on businesswoman taking on the music industry single-handedly, with all the band’s equipment and recording gear bought and owned by the frontwoman herself.
The Sunflowers established themselves as an incredibly tight, razor-sharp collective of young musicians, pioneering the Afrofunk genre through their flawless body of work. The tireless spirit of Mona Finnih led the singer to build upon her work with The Sunflowers, creating collaborative works with prominent West African artists as well as musicians from across the world. In 1974, Finnih contributed vocals for Malaku Daku’s essential funk album Love Drums From The Ghetto – a defining and often underappreciated album from the Afrobeat period.
Moving into the 1980s, Mona continued on her path of collaborative wonder, producing three albums with guitarist Jimi Lee, formerly of Aktion and MonoMono. The first of this trilogy came with 1980’s A Stroll In The Moonlight, which saw Mona sing with The Sensationals as the backing group. The album saw Mona move into a style more akin to the disco style which had come out of 1970s New York.
Finnih remains active to this day, though she has pivoted more towards gospel music as opposed to the trailblazing Afrofunk stylings of her early career. Nevertheless, she remains among the most prolific and talented artists ever to hail from Nigeria, which is no mean feat when considering the rich musical history of the West African nation.
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Crédito: Link de origem
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