The story
Eno Williams is lead singer (Alto, Mezzo-Soprano) and composer of the band Ibibio Sound Machine, an eclectic fusion in which contemporary dance and synth are laid over classic Nigerian highlife rhythm and vocals.
Born in London, raised in a singing family, of which she is the 2nd of seven girls, Williams grew up in the Ibibio region of south-eastern Nigeria from about age 4 to 21, a mainly Christian culture where she got to know not only highlife, but also Nigerian gospel music, and many varieties of African and Western pop. Many of her lyrics are in the Ibibio language, telling traditional tales with an enticing blend of morality and humour.
Williams writes most of her band’s songs and counts Angelique Kidjo, Manu Dibango, Miriam Makeba, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, even the Beatles, among her influences.
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